President Tsai Ing-wen said Sept. 10 that the government will continue sparing no effort to bolster historical and transitional justice for indigenous peoples while promoting ethnic reconciliation in Taiwan.
The Presidential Office Indigenous Historical Justice and Transitional Justice Committee, which was established on Indigenous Peoples’ Day in August 2016, has served as a platform for dialogue between the government and tribal representatives, Tsai said. It is expected that the committee will help clarify historical facts, boost societal communication and foster friendly intergroup ties, she added.
Tsai made the remarks during the 16th virtual meeting of the committee in Taipei City. Attendees of the event included Vice President Lai Ching-te, Minister without Portfolio Lin Wan-i and Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te, as well as 27 members from Taipei; Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan; Hualien and Taitung Counties in eastern Taiwan.
Among the items on the agenda was a report on a dispute settlement ceremony staged by the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples this April at Shei-pa National Park in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County. Attended by President Tsai and CIP Minister Icyang Parod, the event involved a memorandum of understanding signed by representatives of the Atayal communities living in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu and Miaoli Counties, the Forestry Bureau and the national park administration to resolve conflicts resulting from the government’s logging and forest trail development activities since 1963.
Another presentation demonstrated the fruitful results of an MOC-staged exhibition promoting indigenous culture from Aug. 1-11 at National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.
Giving concluding remarks, the vice president said the recent MOU will serve as a precedent for further reconciliation efforts between the government and indigenous tribes. Lai additionally raised the issue of renaming of Taiwan’s indigenous plains peoples, which is expected to be discussed at future meetings. (YCH-E)
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