Aboriginal activists and academics yesterday slammed Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) for acting arbitrarily and without respect for history after a court overturned a county government decision to demolish a monument to “Takasago” soldiers in the Japanese army.
“Takasago volunteers” refer to Taiwanese Aborigines drafted by the Japanese colonial government in the 1940s to serve in the Imperial Army in Southeast Asia.
No one knows exactly how many people were drafted, but the commonly accepted estimate is around 30,000.
To commemorate their ancestors who died as Takasago volunteers, Atayal Aborigines in Wulai Township (烏來), Taipei County, formed a Takasago Volunteer Memorial Association to build a group of monuments to the soldiers in 1992. The monuments were later moved to another location in Wulai in 2006.
Because the plaques on the monuments were written in Japanese and the Atayal soldiers were described as brave men, the Chinese-language China Times ran a story in February 2006 criticizing the monuments for praising Japanese imperialism.
Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅), who is half Atayal, also condemned the monuments and the Taipei County Government quickly tore most of them down despite protests from local Atayals.
Afterward, Atayal activists filed a lawsuit against the county government. That was three years ago.
The Taipei High Administrative Court on Tuesday handed down its final ruling, which overturned the county government’s decision to demolish the monuments. The court made the decision based on the fact that the Takasago Volunteers Memorial Foundation had completed the legal procedure required by the county government to construct the monuments and that the county government did not hold public hearings before ordering the demolition.
“The whole incident happened because of the manipulation of two politicians and a malicious media group,” Wu Rwei-ren (吳叡人), an assistant research fellow in Taiwanese history at Academia Sinica, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
“I want to tell Chou Hsi-wei that issues relating to different ethnic groups — especially minorities — are very sensitive,” Wu said.
Wu said that while Chou, a descendant of Mainlanders who escaped to Taiwan after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was defeated by the Chinese Communist Party, considered the Japanese to be enemies because of their invasion of China, “many people born in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period have a different memory and impression of the Japanese.”
“You should always respect other people if they have a completely different memory of history,” he said. “Only outside colonialists would try to practice forced assimilation.”
Hsueh Chin-feng (薛欽峰), the lawyer representing the Takasago memorial group, said that they would ask for compensation and restoration of the monuments.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS