A Taiwanese Aboriginal poet urged his readers to care more about the environment and not to forget the pain suffered by Aborigines in the nation.
Monanen, a Paiwan Aborigine, said he wrote the poem The Aged Mountain in the 1970s after reading a news report about people illegally chopping down yew trees in the mountains.
The poem describes how the poet returns to his village to find that “the brutal wood-chopping continues” and that “the once fertile mountain of mine is now piles of stone.”
“Our descendants need to live on this land for generations to come, so we must not exhaust the earth’s resources selfishly,” the 59-year-old said.
Even today, Taiwan still faces many environmental problems, such as overdevelopment at the scenic Cingjing (清境) area in Nantou County, said the poet, who called for more efforts to tackle these long-existing problems.
Monanen’s poems address environmental injustices and the discrimination and pain suffered by Aborigines.
“I write poems because I have no other way to release the pain in my heart,” said Monanen, whose own life story is a tragic one.
He lost his mother at a young age and was tricked into forced labor when he was a teenager, while his sister was sold into prostitution.
Monanen lost his sight in his 20s due to a long-term eye disease and a car accident.
The poet said he hopes his poems can show young people the dark side of Taiwanese history and remind them not to forget these issues, even though Taiwanese society has progressed.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS