Representatives of Siraya communities in Tainan yesterday rallied in Taipei to demand that lawmakers amend the Status Act for Indigenous Peoples (原住民身分法) to recognize and grant official status to the Siraya and all other Pingpu groups as indigenous people.
Organized by the Tainan Siraya Culture Association, representatives of other Pingpu groups — including the Babuza, Ketagalan, Makatao and Pazeh — also participated in the rally.
It has been a long road and many Siraya elders cannot wait another year, as they have struggled for official status and recognition for more than two decades, but the process has been stalled by opposition parties and bogged down by legislative procedures, association secretary-general Uma Talavan (萬淑娟) said.
Photo: CNA
Protesters held up banners that read: “Restore our original indigenous status,” “Pingpu groups are also Taiwan’s indigenous peoples,” “We protest stalling by political parties,” “Legislators, please support the amendment” and “President Tsai [Ing-wen (蔡英文)], please keep your promise.”
They handed a petition to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) and Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文), which Uma said requested that Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) expedite cross-party negotiations and help to remove obstacles for the amendment to pass to a second and third reading.
Chen said she would strive to get the amendment — which proposes that a third group, “Pingpu aborigines” (平埔原住民), join the “lowland” and “highland” Aboriginal communities recognized in the act — past cross-party negotiations and would do her best to lobby fellow DPP legislators for their support.
Kuo said that he has always supported the cause and has stood with the Siraya for many years, adding that he has voiced his support during cross-party negotiations.
He vowed to press other lawmakers and government officials to facilitate the amendment’s passage, saying that there is little time to do so, as the current legislative session is to end in December before the presidential and legislative elections in January next year.
The protesters then marched to the Executive Yuan and presented another petition, which urged Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to endorse the legislation and help soften perceived opposition in some government agencies, particularly the Council of Indigenous Peoples.
The group later rallied outside the Presidential Office Building and handed an official another petition, which asked for Tsai to support and provide leadership on the issue.
Granting official status to Pingpu groups was a pledge made by Tsai, who earlier this year called for the DPP to have the amendment passed by the end of the year, Uma said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS