Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Taiwan's Tao Prepare to Hail Part of Taiwan's Past

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Taiwan is an island nation with a rich, past that most are not that aware of. For example, current research is pointing more and more to how linguistically and by DNA Taiwan is the origin of the vast Austronesian Empire that extends from Madagascar to Easter Island. Similarly, Taiwan is seen as the origin of the Lapita Culture that extends throughout the islands of the Pacific. But the natural question arises, how could Taiwanese travel from Taiwan to all those islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans in spurts beginning some 5000 years or more ago? Today's Tao people who dwell primarily on Orchid Island are preparing to demonstrate how.

The Tao, a sea-faring people, are completing the "Si Mangavang" one of the largest canoes they have ever built using only wood from their island and traditional methods. They will launch the canoe on June 24 and on June 29, it will begin a journey of some 700 km to Taiwan proper. The two teams of rowers will cross the strong Kuroshio current, a rough cross in any weather and a crossing that has left many sea-sick on completion in a regular ocean-going vessel.

Abdicating sovereignty, little by little

Taipei Times Editorial

Despite the touted economic benefits of flourishing Chinese tourism to Taiwan, it is becoming increasingly clear that the dividends are coming at a price — one that, sadly, some seem willing to pay.

With some People’s Republic of China nationals able to travel independently to Taiwan beginning later this month, the Yilan County Business and Tourism Department last week announced it wanted to open a Web site in China and, in doing so, would likely drop the “.tw” suffix to make itself more palatable to Chinese authorities.

A representative from the Yilan County Lodging Association also said that homestays and bed-and-breakfast operators in the county would probably encounter severe difficulty attracting Chinese tourists if they insist on using the “.tw” suffix, an indication that operators and officials may have little compunction in making such a sacrifice in the name of business.

Lawmakers pass new nuclear funding

Taipei Times

The legislature yesterday voted down a set of anti-nuclear motions proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Holding just one-third of the legislative seats, the DPP failed in 11 attempts to block the use of nuclear power, despite support from anti-nuclear activists who have staged a protest outside the legislature since Sunday night.

A motion to reject the request for a supplementary NT$14 billion (US$485.74 million) in funding from state-owned Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) for continued construction work at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao (貢寮) District, New Taipei City (新北市), was defeated.

Taiwan’s unresolved status is getting growing attention in the United States

Michael Richardson

A flurry of events around the United States shows that Taiwan’s longstanding “strategic ambiguity” is getting some attention.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the U. S. House of Representatives is holding a full day of hearings this week to explore “Why Taiwan Matters”, a federal judge has set a hearing date over a Kuomintang default in a case involving Republic of China gold bonds, WikiLeaks revealed a close relationship between the ROC government and the American Institute in Taiwan while Taiwanese-American groups in Los Angeles and Boston urged eviction of the ROC from Taiwan.

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