President Chen Shui-bian (
The president said that with their distinctive traits and cultural features, and unequivocal tribe identification, the Thao people were worthy of being designated a major indigenous tribe.
PHOTO: YU WEN-YU, TAIPEI TIMES
The Thao tribe, which has settled for several generations in Tehuashe (
The Executive Yuan last month approved the tribe's designation as the nation's 10th major tribe, while President Chen made it formal at a grand ceremony yesterday.
"Taiwan is a beautiful nation rich in culture. The exchanges and integration among the nation's various cultures has allowed a kind of dynamism to flourish here," Chen said.
Chen said the Thao people have become more united since the devastating 921 earthquake in 1999 and that yesterday's proclamation was in part a reply to their calls to be regarded as a new indigenous tribe.
The president said the proclamation also marked a new beginning in the way the government will address the concerns of Aboriginal tribes.
On June 19 last year, hundreds of Thao people returned to their homeland of Kuanghua Island (
Historical documents show that the KMT is principally responsible for the near extinction of the Thao by forcing its people to leave their ancestral lands to live in another community for the past 30 years.
However, former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) under the old KMT administration, promised DPP Aboriginal lawmaker Payen Talu (巴燕達魯) on Nov. 17, 1999 that the government would grant the Thao a plot of state-owned land.
During yesterday's ceremony, Chen helped unveil a big wooden carving showing members of the Thao tribe pursuing white deer.
He then presided over a mass wedding ceremony of 27 Aboriginal couples and offered them Aboriginal works of art as wedding gifts.
The Thao have joined the list of major indigenous peoples in Taiwan, which consists of the Atayal (泰雅), Saisiyat (賽夏), Bunun (
In 1998, the number of indigenous people in Taiwan was just over than 396,000.
The Amis is the largest group, accounting for over one-third of the nation's indigenous population, followed by the Atayal and Paiwan.
The Yamis, with less than 4,500 members, was the smallest of the major indigenous groups before the Thao tribe was included.
UPDATE: 5:10pm The whole of Taiwan was jolted by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck just off the coast of Hualien County at 7:58am on Wednesday, the largest quake to hit the nation in 25 years. As of 4:30pm, the death toll had reached nine. A total of 821 people were injured, and 127 were still trapped or stranded. According to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), the epicenter was 25km south-southeast of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 15.5km. The highest intensity of 6 was felt in Hualien, while Yilan and Miaoli counties registered over 5. Intensities of just under 5 were felt
The Taipei City Government yesterday said its inspection of a restaurant linked to a bongkrek acid poisoning outbreak found that a specimen collected from the chef’s hands on March 24 had tested positive for the toxin, so the restaurant would be held responsible for the food poisoning. Thirty people who ate at Polam Kopitam (寶林茶室) in Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 (Xinyi A13) between March 19 and 24 have reported falling ill after eating there, with most of them having eaten a stir-fried flat rice noodle dish called char kway teow (炒粿條). Bongkrek acid, a rare toxin produced by contamination
TAIPEI DAMAGE: Buildings in Wanhua District were damaged in the quake, with some residents ordered to evacuate and one building facing possible demolition The death toll from Wednesday’s magnitude 7.2 earthquake rose to 10, while 1,099 people were injured and 15 were missing, in addition to 705 people who remained trapped, the National Emergency Response Center said at 8:40pm yesterday. The latest fatality, previously listed as missing, was a man hiking on Xiaozhuilu Trail (小錐麓步道) in Hualien County. He was found under rocks and his remains were transported out of the area in the late afternoon. The 17 other hikers who had registered their details with the Taroko National Park were all accounted for, the park management office said. All of the known fatalities occurred in
HELP! The government has been air-dropping food, water, medicine and other necessities to people in trapped areas, while some are being delivered on foot Rescue efforts continued yesterday at Taroko National Park and the Central Cross-Island Highway following Wednesday’s earthquake, with the death toll increasing by two to 12, in addition to 1,133 injured, 636 trapped and eight missing. As of 9pm, the center said it had recovered three missing people, two of whom who were near Luoshao Cihui Temple (洛韶慈惠堂). Although two bodies were discovered along the Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑) in Taroko yesterday, the Central Emergency Operations Center said the official death toll still stands at 10 until they can be extricated. Earlier yesterday, members of the Special Search and Rescue Division from the Pingtung,