On August 1, 2016, President Tsai Ing-wen, on behalf of the Taiwan government, made an important and unprecedented apology to the island’s indigenous people. Taiwan’s indigenous people have lived on the island “for thousands of years, with rich culture and wisdom … [f]or 400 years, every regime that has come to Taiwan has brutally violated the rights of indigenous people through armed invasion and land seizure.” Two years after the apology, GTI held a discussion with a young indigenous rights activists from Taiwan, Tuhi Martukaw (Jocelyn Ting-Hui Hung Chien), on the challenges and opportunities for indigenous rights protection in Taiwan and Asia. This event is the fourth installment of the Civil Society and Democracy Series, which is partially funded by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
The Civil Society and Democracy series will continue throughout the year and focus on various topics relating to Taiwan’s democracy and human rights. The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan organization and is the first national democracy assistance foundation to be established in Asia, and is devoted to strengthening democracy and human rights in Taiwan and abroad.