Taiwan Church News
3467 Edition
August 6 – 12, 2018
Topical News
Aboriginal Groups Protest Unjust Land Laws After Two Years Of Sbalay From President Tsai
Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong
At the eve of Aboriginal Day, a national memorial day set up two years’ ago by President Tsai Ing-wen’s official apology – Sbalay – to all aboriginal peoples across Taiwan island, many representatives from aboriginal groups and NGO protested the government’s demarcation policy on aboriginal land rights and traditional territories were actually against aborigine’s legal rights and interests.
Prof Huang Song-Li, a counsellor of Human Rights Committee under the Presidential Office and a faculty member of the Institute of Public Health at National Yang Ming University, warned that President Tsai’s demarcation policy is not only breaching against all aborigines’ rights but also undermining all Taiwan people’s rights to sustainability. He, therefore, urged President Tsai to deliver her second Sbalay to the aboriginal peoples.
Since Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan had passed both International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights(ICCPR) and International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights(ICESCR) in 2009, which stipulate each nation or people has her right of self-determination, it is beyond doubt every aboriginal people possesses an authentic and non-negotiable rights to plan her own politic, economic, social and cultural affairs, Prof Huang said.
Given the spirit of self-determination granted by ICCPR and ICESCR, the authentic aboriginal culture should be based on each people’s land and history, said Prof Huang, adding that it would be a shameful lie, if a government just gave lip service to respect all peoples’ self-determination of but refused to take seriously about their lands and cultures.
At present, the worst scandals to Tsai’s government are those, like the case of mineral site’s 30 years extension of Asia Cement Company, a financial conglomerate invading into traditional territories of Taroko people at Hua-lien County; the BOT case of Peacock Garden, a development project of entertainment facilities, occupying the aboriginal lands of Tso people located at Nan-tou County, according to Prof Huang.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
