Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

As Taiwan’s presidential election approaches, few Taiwanese need to be reminded of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) infamous and miscalculated “6-3-3” pledge of 2008. With the election two months away and the “6-3-3” promise and others unfulfilled, Ma is crafting a new promise: He is promising a “golden decade.”

A golden decade? The full ramifications of this new promise boggle the mind, especially from a man who has consistently tried to make the public forget about his past unfulfilled promises by trading them for new unfulfilled promises.

Amis men and women from A’tolan (Dulan) Village in Donghe Township, Taitung County, hold a protest outside the legislature in Taipei yesterday against a build-operate--transfer holiday resort project on the Pacific coast.

Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times

Shouting slogans, singing traditional songs and performing traditional dances, dozens of young Amis Aborigines from the village of A’tolan yesterday gathered in front of the Legislative Yuan, accusing the government of planning development projects in their traditional domains without first getting their consent.

The Amis protesters — mostly young people — were upset over plans by the East Coast National Scenic Area Administration Headquarters to invite private corporations to build a holiday resort along the A’tolan coast, which is administratively known as Dulan Village (都蘭) in Taitung County’s Donghe Township (東河), through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) plan.