Taipei Times
Date: Nov 24, 2017
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday said that they support

Democratic Progressive Party legislators and others urge the government to officially recognize the Siraya as an Aboriginal group by amending the Status Act for Indigenous Peoples at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.  Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times

legal recognition of the Siraya Aborigines (西拉雅族) and the need to protect their right to political representation, urging other lawmakers to approve a draft amendment to the Status Act for Indigenous Peoples (原住民身分法).

Siraya elders and activist were joined by pastors and officials of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT) from southern Taiwan at a news conference convened by DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) yesterday morning, where they urged all political parties to pass the proposed amendment.

The Siraya from Tainan, alongside other groups of Pingpu, or lowland Aborigines, have fought for legal recognition as indigenous people for several decades, but this had not been achieved, as the political process has not yet been completed.    [FULL  STORY]