Pingpu groups (平埔族群) yesterday held a news conference in front of the Legislative Yuan, urging an end to what they call the “systematic exclusion” of indigenous groups, and demanded official status and equal rights.
Wearing traditional clothing, they performed rituals and called on lawmakers across party lines to support equality, transitional justice and protection of indigenous rights for Pingpu groups.
The Pingpu does not refer to a single ethnic group, but is generally used to describe Taiwanese indigenous peoples originally residing in lowland regions.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Kaisanan Ahuan of central Taiwan’s Taokas and Pan Jiaqun of southern Taiwan’s Makatao led the event, and were joined by representatives from other Pingpu groups, including those from the Ketagalan, Pazeh, Kaxabu, Papora, Babuza, Siraya and Tavalong.
“It is time for the government to restore justice and recognize different Pingpu groups, as we are the original inhabitants of Taiwan descending from ancient Austronesian people. The government has for too long ignored our existence, adopting colonial policies to marginalize and exclude Pingpu groups, and deprive us of official status and rights,” Kaisanan Ahuan said.
“We demand recognition and rights to indigenous culture, language and collective identity, along with rights to education, natural resources and autonomy on ancestral domains. We also demand equality, protection of rights and access to the same services as the officially recognized 16 indigenous groups,” Pan Jiaqun said.
The groups said they opposed a legislative bill introduced by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sra Kacaw, an Amis, which they said would grant status recognition in name only and not include them in the Council of Indigenous Peoples.
“We urge lawmakers not to endorse Sra Kacaw’s bill, which would give Pingpu groups no protection of indigenous rights. It would turn us into lower-class indigenous people, and we do not want that,” Kaisanan Ahuan said.
“We oppose Pingpu groups being treated with the mindset of old colonial regimes. We refuse the new ways of ‘divide and conquer’ aiming to sow discord and conflict among indigenous peoples,” the groups said in a statement.
“The drafting of bills should adopt the core principle of equality, and include comprehensive discussion and meaningful input by indigenous peoples,” they said.
The Constitutional Court in 2022 ruled that the government’s denial of the existence of Siraya and other Pingpu groups was unconstitutional, and they, as original inhabitants of Taiwan, should have the same status as the 16 recognized groups.
The court gave the government a three-year deadline to implement laws.
Legislators and ministries should consult with Pingpu groups and hold public hearings, before amending the relevant statutes of the Indigenous Peoples Status Act (原住民身分法) and the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law (原住民族基本法), Kaisanan Ahuan said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
RSS