On the morning of November 27, President Ma Ying-jeou was accompanied by Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Sun Ta-chuan (孫大川) to the opening ceremonies of the International Austronesian Conference 2012. In addition to expressing his best wishes for a successful conference, the president reiterated the importance that the government places on the culture of indigenous peoples.
In remarks, the president first extended a welcome in various Austronesian languages to the guests attending the conference. He stated that this marks the 10th International Austronesian Conference, adding that this year's theme, "weaving waves' writings," symbolizes that peoples speaking Austronesian languages live across an enormous area and that there are a large number of these languages, and yet Austronesian peoples can still find many commonalties with each other, which is quite meaningful, he added.
President Ma stated that individuals from Oceania, Asia, and even the Americas and Europe have been invited to this year's conference to discuss a variety of topics, including museums and cultural eco-tourism, Austronesian culture and empowerment of indigenous community, the renaissance of Austronesian languages, the establishment of industrial interaction platforms, and the relationship between traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights. In addition, he said, this year's conference emphasizes narrative arts, colonial experiences, and wartime memories. The president called on those attending the conference to engage in discussions from the standpoints of cultural history and economic activity, examining a broad range of related topics.
President Ma stated that he placed great importance on the preservation and promotion of the indigenous culture during his tenure as Taipei City mayor. In particular, he said, Taiwan's indigenous tribes play an important role in Austronesian culture and languages, which encourages us to cherish our cultural heritage and traditions even more, he stated. While Taiwan's indigenous tribes account for only 2% of Taiwan's total population, President Ma said, the contribution and meaning of their culture to Taiwan culture as a whole far exceeds their actual population.
President Ma mentioned that in March 2010 he traveled to the South Pacific to make state visits to six of the ROC's allies in the region, including the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Republic of Nauru, the Solomon Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Besides checking on the state of cooperation between the ROC and its South Pacific allies in the fields of agricultural technology, vocational training, health security, and the use of solar power, the president said, he discovered that the languages used by people in those nations had a number of similarities to the languages of Taiwan's indigenous tribes. As a result, mutual cooperation and interaction is especially meaningful, he said.
In a bid to establish links between the speakers of different Austronesian languages, the president pointed out, the Executive Yuan's Council of Indigenous Peoples holds the International Austronesian Conference each year. This event aims to promote interaction among Austronesian peoples ranging from Taiwan in the north, to New Zealand in the south, to Chile's Easter Island in the east, and Madagascar in the west. In addition, the council also promotes a variety of international activities, including the Global Indigenous Peoples Performing Arts Festival last year. This year, Taiwan's indigenous tribes will participate in the Festival of Pacific Arts that is held once every four years in the Solomon Islands, he said. President Ma also noted that Taiwan has signed memoranda of cooperation with indigenous tribes of other nations.
President Ma stated that the ROC recently has been in negotiations with New Zealand on an economic cooperation agreement. He said that Taiwan and New Zealand's Ministry of Maori Development, which is that nation's competent authority for Maori affairs, have agreed to include a chapter about indigenous peoples in the agreement to foster greater cultural and economic interaction among the indigenous peoples of both nations. This, he said, constitutes an important historical milestone in international interaction among indigenous peoples.
With regard to laws and various measures to ensure the rights of indigenous peoples, the president stated, Taiwan's government in 2005 passed The Indigenous Peoples Basic Law. Since then, the government has moved forward to promote self-rule among indigenous peoples on a trial basis. He expressed his hopes that this process will help to increase cohesion among indigenous peoples.