TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Thursday (Dec. 19) vowed to deepen the protection of Indigenous rights, aiming to achieve fairness and justice. The prmier made the commment while leading the 17th meeting of the Executive Yuan's Indigenous Peoples Basic Law Promotion Committee (行政院原住民族基本法推動會), emphasizing its role in advancing significant Indigenous affairs since its inception.
Cho highlighted the committee's responsibility to continue the work of the Indigenous Historical Justice and Transitional Justice Committee (原住民族歷史正義與轉型正義委員會), which has accomplished several truth investigations into the loss of Indigenous rights since its establishment in 2016. The committee has made strides in language, culture, autonomy, and rights protection for Indigenous peoples.
Building on the eight years of achievements by the transitional justice committee, Cho announced plans to promote the Indigenous Hope Project. He urged the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP, 原住民族委員會) to plan relevant legislation. He noted that the Indigenous Social Security Development Plan (原住民族社會安全發展計畫) has narrowed the gap between Indigenous communities and societal indicators and pledged to enhance the local characteristics of cultural health stations.
Cho instructed the CIP to explain the improvements in safeguarding Indigenous health, social welfare, and labor rights to local governments and social workers. He emphasized the importance of reducing disparities with societal indicators.