“I wish to offer my most sincere apology for the suffering and unfair treatment of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples over the past 400 years,” Tsai said. “Some might see such injustice as the inevitable result of social development and take it for granted, this misconception must be changed first.”
The president made the remarks during an event commemorating Indigenous People’s Day at the Office of the President in Taipei City. Also attending were representatives of local indigenous tribes, who performed rituals demonstrating goodwill and praying to ancestral spirits for blessings, as well as senior government officials and members of the Taiwan-based diplomatic corps.
According to Tsai, the government is pursuing a three-pronged approach to achieving reconciliation. These are effectively implementing the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law, seeking historical justice for Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and establishing a platform for eventual indigenous autonomy.
The rights of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples have been severely infringed through conquest and land exploitation carried out under all of the island’s administrations, including the ROC, the president said. In the process of building a modern country, the indigenous peoples lost their autonomy and saw their collective rights neglected and traditional social structures dismantled, Tsai added.
“The government must look squarely at this chapter of the nation’s history and engage in sincere reflection,” she said. “It is our responsibility alone to seek reconciliation.”
Tsai also apologized for the decision to store nuclear waste on Orchid Island, or Lanyu, as well as failing to take a more active stance when it comes to preserving traditional indigenous culture.
Situated 44 nautical miles off the coast of Taitung County in southeastern Taiwan, Orchid Island is inhabited by the Yami, or Tao, people—one of the nation’s 16 officially recognized tribes.
“While Taiwan is a country of diversified cultures, the gap between the indigenous peoples and other groups in terms of health, education, political participation and prosperity must be addressed,” the president said.
As part of efforts tackling this issue, Tsai said she is to head a committee overseeing ethnic, historical and transitional justice under the Office of the President. Comprising representatives of all the nation’s indigenous groups, the committee is responsible for helping deliver historical justice and negotiating related policy directions.
Other initiatives include the Executive Yuan convening regular meetings to ensure the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law is implemented, reviewing relevant laws and regulations to determine if they are in accordance with the interests and rights of indigenous peoples, and fast-tracking bills on indigenous autonomy, land and sea management, and language development.
According to the Council of Indigenous Peoples, indigenous Malayo-Polynesian peoples have lived in Taiwan for millennia, with archeological evidence confirming their presence dating back 12,000 to 15,000 years. The latest CIP statistics revealed that the collective population of these groups in Taiwan stood at around 530,000, or 2.3 percent of the nation’s total. (SFC-E)
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