Taiwan Church News 3272 Edition November 10 - 16, 2014 Headline News "Restore The Names Of Our Lands! Shame On Any Political Persecution From The Government!", ATIPP and Aboriginal Groups Protest Against Taiwan's National Police Agency Ministry Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong At 10:00 am on November 6, members of the Association for Taiwan Indigenous Peoples' Policy(ATIPP) together with several aboriginal civil groups, hold a press conference before National Police Agency Ministry of the Interior Department, protesting the politically implicated persecutions from Fong-lin police station and Hua-lien District Prosecutors Office for a graffiti paint in the early morning on October 19 asking for restoring the names of the aboriginal lands. Accompanied by the volunteer lawyer from Judicial Reform Foundation(JRF), Ms Nakao Eki Pacidal, the protagonist of this paint graffiti, who is the former President of 02 Club in National Cheng Kong University(NCKU) and alsoa PCT youth, expresses sentimentally during the angry protest: I am sorry for I can only spray paints to restore our land's name, without tearing down the official plate of "Guangfu Township"! Appealing to restore the aboriginal name to her home town, Ms Nakao Eki Pacidal went together with members of the Association of Fata'an and Tafalong, spraying slogans before the front gate of Guangfu Township Office of Hua-lien County in the early morning on October 19. The graffiti paints read: "Land Is Our Country", "Whose Guangfu(ie. retrocession)? Naming should be compliant to its Master!" and a binding spell of two tribes "Tafalong - Fata'an". Rev. Omi Wilang, Secretary of PCT Indigenous Ministry Committee and also the representative of Indigenous Peoples Action Coalition of Taiwan(IPACT), strongly condemns the following political persecutionfiled from both Fong-lin police station and Hua-lien District Prosecutors Office toward the tribemembers supporting the Association ofFata'an and Tafalong. "Guangfu Town?! This name has ever been discussed with the aboriginal local tribes. Not mention to be accepted with nods!". Rev. Mayau Kumud, pastor of West-Amis Presbytery, who had been put in prison for his political campaign for restoring the aboriginal names on lands, passionately urged his Amis tribe fellows: "If we can not stop the destructive stigmatization from the unrighteous regime; if we, as elders of the Amis tribe, do not have a minimum courage to turn it over, it will be a regretful shame to enlist us as Amis in future." Mr Lin San-jia, a volunteer lawyer from JRF, points out ROC government in Taiwan has the obligation to restore the aboriginal names to the restored lands according to The Indigenous Peoples Basic Law(IPBL). Contrasting the seemingly outrageous graffiti paints of MsNakao Eki Pacidal, which is actually complaint to the spirit of IPBL, many administrative measures of Ma Ying-jeou's KMT regime are obviously against national law, two most important international human rights treaties signed long ago and even the New Partnership Contract promised to the aboriginal people. Wudu Mijian, President of ATIPP and member of PCT Tayal Presbytery, says that the Aboriginal Identity Movement to restore the aboriginal name is never a series of sporadically independent events. From the initiative of constitutional monarchy launched in June 2014 by the aboriginal civil groups, stopping the Chinese tourists group to spoil the indigenous tribal ceremony, till this graffiti painting event, all these actions from the aboriginal people call attention of the administrative power to respect their self-determination rights, substantially carry out IPBL and realize the ideal of transitional justice as early as possible. Translated by Peter Wolfe |