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2010/8/6
Aborigines plan protest to highlight plight after Typhoon Morakot

Taiwan Church News 3048 Edition July 26~August 1, 2010

Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong. Written by Lydia Ma. Photo by Chiou Kuo-rong

On August 8, 2009, a strong typhoon ravaged southern and eastern Taiwan, causing severe landslides and destroying many Aborigine reservations. Typhoon Morakot left 1,623 houses in tatters and killed or maimed 724 people in its wake.

Now, almost one year later, as the nation commemorates the 1st anniversary of the typhoon and reflects on government rescue, relief, and resettlement efforts, the question on many people’s minds is how rebuilding efforts are progressing, especially the Ma administration’s “Special Statute for Reconstruction for Post-Typhoon Morakot Disaster”

According to Indigenous Peoples Action Coalition of Taiwan (IPACT), areas hit by Typhoon Morakot remain desolate and the government’s arrogance towards Aborigines and its disregard for the preservation of Aborigine culture throughout rescue and rebuilding efforts has been disheartening to say the least.

In response, Aborigines have decided to assemble on Ketagalan Boulevard near the Presidential Palace on the evening of August 6, 2010, to protest against the government’s willful destruction of Aborigine culture, identity, and lifestyle. IPACT will also unveil a progress report on reconstruction efforts to date.

IPACT convened a meeting on July 20, 2010, at PCT headquarter office in Taipei and leaders from various Aborigine movements agreed that they’d camp overnight on Ketagalan Boulevard to protest the Ma administration’s policies on post-Morakot reconstruction.

One of the organizers of this overnight protest is PCT Indigenous Ministry Committee Secretary Rev. Omi Wilang. He underscored that the government’s attitude had been rather brusque from the policy planning stage to the policy implementation stage of rebuilding efforts.

He also said the Ma administration had not only lacked empathy on the plight of Aborigines but had also distributed resources arbitrarily and unfairly, resulting in strife, confusion, and division among Aborigines.

Rev. Omi Wilang added that many Aborigines are emotionally spent after living through this ordeal for months and their weariness has made them vulnerable against those who seek to take advantage of them since they are no longer fighting for their rights as ardently as they used to in the past.

But he pointed out that Aborigines’ silence and weariness also stem from long-standing policies concerning Aborigines and their land rights and rights to self-rule. These policies are full of restrictions and traps seeking to take away Aborigines’ rights and lands.

As an expert on Aborigine movements, Rev. Omi Wilang commented that studying the barrage of new challenges facing Aborigines was at times overwhelming for him. One can only imagine how an average Aborigine without higher education might feel when attempting to fight for basic rights. “The silence we sense from Aborigines living in affected areas is essentially a silent accusation and protest against their oppressors!” he said.

He is convinced that Aborigines ultimately need autonomy, but the issue of granting self-rule to them is a hot potato for both the pan-blue and the pan-green camps and a topic the mainstream media avoids at all costs. They are afraid that granting sell-rule to Aborigines would translate into losing a lot of land, resources, and power.

Rev. Omi Wilang argued that such fears are really much ado about nothing because giving Aborigines more autonomy will actually boost Taiwan’s profile in the eyes of the international community, which will in turn be a good thing for the country’s economy as well.

Hence, he urged all citizens who are concerned for the rights of Aborigines to join protestors on the night of August 6 and take part in this overnight protest to support Aborigines.

In related news, Aborigines living somewhere other than their registered permanent places of residence, which have been destroyed by Typhoon Morakot, will not be eligible to apply and move into permanent housing units.

For Aborigines, this clause included in the “Special Statute for Reconstruction for Post-Typhoon Morakot Disaster” runs against the ROC Constitution with regards to freedom of residence.

Because of this clause, a group of Rukai Aborigines living in Taipei whose permanent places of residence in Pingtung were destroyed by Typhoon Morakot will not be eligible to transfer their permanent places of residence to newly-built permanent housing units.

In response to this unfair treatment, which has been likened to “one country, two systems”, Rukai Aborigines residing in Taipei have formed an alliance to take on the Ma administration, rectify this injustice, and protect Aborigine culture and legacy so that every Aborigine can have a place to call home.



Submitted by:Taiwan Church Press
 
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