Indigenous artists and pastors express concern and displeasure at the “Meliwan Resort” project

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

3098 Edition

July 11-17, 2011

Headline News

Indigenous artists and pastors express concern and displeasure at the “Meliwan 
Resort” project

Reported by Lin Yi-ying

Written by Lydia Ma

Several local Indigenous artists, including movie director Mayaw Biho, came 
together on July 10, 2011, to perform in an event sponsored by “Anti-Meliwan 
Resort Hotel Action Alliance”. The location of this concert was Sanyuan Bay in 
Taitung, the site where Taitung county government and some corporations are 
illegally building a resort. The artists used dance, songs, skits, and other 
forms of art to get their message through.

This controversy dates back to 2004 when the Taitung county government allowed 
the construction of the beachfront Meiliwan Resort Hotel on Shanyuan Bay. Not 
willing to give up their traditional domain and worried about the environmental 
impact that a large tourist resort would bring, Indigenous residents and 
environmentalists protested and filed lawsuits as soon as constructions began. 
But despite several court rulings against the project, the county government in 
partnership with corporations repeatedly, appealed these decisions while 
simultaneously proceeding with all the legal processes required for the 
resort’s operation.

Among those who attended this concert was Rev. Fa-dah, who brought 7 youths 
from her Aboriginal reservation with her to listen to the concert and support 
its cause. “I feel helpless and worried when I think about the future of 
Indigenous people!” she said.

“I don’t know what these youths think, but I know this is an opportunity to 
inform them and teach them,” she said, adding that youths usually are unaware 
of issues that deeply impact the livelihoods of Indigenous people, such as the 
East Coast Development Act and collusion between local governments and national 
corporations. She hopes that such opportunities will open their eyes to their 
people’s plight and strengthen their sense of ethnic identity.

Rev. Fa-dah explained that Indigenous groups usually don’t possess a strong 
sense of ethnic identity and tend to be easily misled into overlooking issues 
that are truly important, such as their rights. This case is a classic example, 
she said, because Indigenous groups usually have less education, financial 
resources, and professional know-how compared to the heads of big corporations 
or county governments. Consequently, they rarely get a good deal at the 
negotiation table, if there is any, and their lands and their livelihoods can 
be taken from them without much difficulty. 

PCT Indigenous Ministry Committee Secretary Omi Wilang said that long before 
this illegal resort hit the news and grabbed the attention of some in Taiwan, 
PCT was already working with Indigenous people on it and helping them with 
various awareness-raising events. 

Displeased that the Ma administration would disregard the rights of so many in 
Taiwan for the sake of “economic revitalization”, Omi Wilang reiterated that 
the PCT would stand with the people to the very end and because helping the 
oppressed is in agreement with PCT’s confession of faith.

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