President Lee Teng-hui this afternoon attends the inaugural ceremony of the cabinet-level Aborigine Affairs Commission, Executive Yuan.
On the occasion, President Lee points out that the setting-up of the commission marks a new milestone in the Republic of China's aboriginal administration. He also calls for a revival of traditional aboriginal culture and closer cooperation among different ethnic groups in this country.
President Lee says that, since aborigines are the pioneers in Taiwan's development, the ROC government has attached great importance to their welfare.
Due to different living conditions, the President notes, aborigines have lagged behind other ethnic groups in development. He therefore urges the newly formed commission to pay more attention to various problems facing aborigines and come up with feasible measures to help them solve these problems, including education, social welfare, economic development, and land utilization.
Preservation of aboriginal culture is also very important, so the commission should make it an integral part of overall Taiwan culture, President Lee says.