Taipei Times
Date: May 03, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday proposed draft legislation aimed at rectifying the injustices suffered by Aborigines throughout the nation’s history, in addition to human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) during the Martial Law era.

The inclusion of Aboriginal rights in the bill, titled “promoting historical justice and the recovery of rights act,” is in contrast with the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) proposed legislation on transitional justice, which focuses on abuses of power under martial law prior to democratization, although both seek to establish a special commission with broad powers to investigate abuses and draft remedial legislation.

NPP Legislator Freddie Lim (林昶佐) said the bill is aimed at “drawing out the historical line” to enable a “full inspection” of transitional justice issues, including human rights abuses committed under several different governing authorities.

The NPP legislation would establish a “historical justice and rights recovery commission” charged with investigating infringements of indigenous rights, as well as governmental abuses of power.
The NPP bill defines relations between the government and Aboriginal communities as those between equally sovereign bodies, while defining investigations into Aboriginal rights infringements to focus on land and natural resources.     [FULL  STORY]