Taiwan Church News

3375 Edition

October 31 - November 6, 2016

Church Ministry

Tayal Aborigine Want Government To Return Their Reservation Lands Along Skaru River

Reported by Simon Lin

Since the end of July, members of Tayal's Skaru Villages Sovereignty Action Alliance(TSVSAA) had pledged to takeback their traditional reservation lands located along the Skaru river system which was located at current Wu-fong Shiang of Hsin-chu County.

As both Forestry Bureau of Council of Agriculture and Shei-pa National Park still kept in silence on such anurgent Tayal aborigine's request, TSVSAA threatened on Taiwan Retrocession Day (October 25) that they would pull down the humiliating Veteran Logging Monument setup in their reservation lands to express their strongest protest. The newly elected Tsai regime should fulfill the task of transitional justice for the aborigines in full speed and not just busy at some superficial apologies and empty talks, TSVSAA said.

Skaru river system is a critical life supporting environment for Tayal aborigines for generations. The ancient paths and connecting bridges built among mountains by Tayal elders in Japanese ruling period are especially noteworthy. But now such traditional wisdom embedded in the aboriginal cultures are no more: water resources spoiled, inhabitation destroyed, ecological balance disappeared, and landslides happened everywhere.

On October 25, TSVSAA launched a protesting march from Wu-lai Presbyterian Church to the Tourist Center ofShei-pa National Park, asking the government return the reservation lands back to the Tayal aborigine and compensate their loss of rights denied by the authorities for decades.

In the meanatime, the Deceased Veteran Commemorative Monument erected at the Tourist Center of Shei-paNational Park was also criticized by TSVSAA as an evil symbol reminiscent of colonial exploitation in the aboriginal society. This is a sarcastic anachronism and spiritual insult to the aboriginal society, said TSVSAA, adding that this monument should be scraped and a memorial remembering those Tayal elders who had standed guard for these sacred mountains and valleys around Skaru river should be setup instead.

Translated by Peter Wolfe