After several months the documents have been released by DFAT. There were a total of 24 cables from the Australian Office Taipei in the release. They cover the period from May 2008, when President Ma Ying-jeou took office, to January this year.

The cables reveal several matters which were of particular interest to Australia. The first of these was the PNG bribery scandal. This involved a payment of US $30 million dollars to two middlemen in Singapore in an attempt to gain “diplomatic recognition” from PNG. The scandal resulted in then Vice-Premier Chiou I-jen and Minister for Foreign Affairs James Huang resigning in May 2008, shortly before President Chen Shui-bian’s term expired.

The cable dated 7 May 2008 notes that, “the most likely explanation for the whole affair would seem to be that [Huang and Chiou] were taken in by two conmen.” This analysis has proved correct although it was not until June 2012 that Chiou was found not guilty in the High Court.

The cables also note references in the media to a “Southern Project” or “secret diplomacy” in Australia. The cable dated 30 May 2008 discusses this in the context of President Ma Ying-jeou’s decision not to declassify files related to the State Affairs Fund case. Paragraph six of this cable notes that National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ho Szu-yin said that Chen had not handed over any files related to the “Southern Project” to Ma’s transition team and prosecutors did not believe there had ever been such a project.

The cable dated 27 October 2008 makes further reference to the “Southern Project”. It notes that the Apple Daily and TVBS reported Chen had told prosecutors that he had fabricated the “Southern Project” to divert attention from “secret diplomatic activities” concerning the United States and Japan. It also notes that Chen himself had never publicly referred to the “Southern Project”.

A cable dated 26 January 2009 concerns allegations reported in the Taiwanese media that Chen Shui-bian’s family had transferred large amounts of money Australia. A comment on the cable says, “At this stage we have no means of verifying the truth of the China Times story. If the story turns out to be true however, we may be contacted by the special investigating panel for assistance in identifying and tracing the alleged transfers of funds to Australia.”

The issue of funds transfers to Australia is again mentioned in a cable dated 10 February 2009. Again it only refers to allegations reported by the Taiwanese media. A cable dated 22 June 2010 notes an interview with Taiwanese-Australian businessman Gong Jin-yuan in the China Times. Gong said the “Southern Project” was a fabrication to help account for money spent for other purposes. Gong admitted to signing some receipts to “help his friend” Chen but denied he had received NT$6 million for the so-called “Southern Project”.

Overall there is a significant amount of discussion in the cables related to the detention and trials of Chen Shui-bian. These mention  concerns related to the fairness of the judicial process. Attention is also paid to the detention and trial of other DPP officials such as Chiou I-jen mentioned above. The cable dated 12 November 2008 notes the arrest and detention of a number of DPP officials. Comment on the cable says, “The KMT will need to tread carefully to counter accusations that authorities are using the judicial system for political purposes to target DPP officials.”

A follow up to this cable on 20 November 2008 notes a meeting with a source obviously sympathetic to the DPP. The source said the arrests without charge of DPP officials were politically motivated.

There is a notable gap in the cables from June 2010 to November 2012. This is most likely explained by the fact that Chen had already been through a number of trials by mid-2010 and they were no longer considered notable. Concerns about Chen’s mistreatment in prison and poor health came to the fore in the second half of 2012.

A cable dated 3 January 2013 notes a meeting with a source to discuss Chen’s health. The source had spoken to a number of doctors and they were consistent in their diagnosis that Chen needed medical parole and should not be kept in prison. The source also notes that administrators could exercise a lot of discretion and granting Chen medical parole was not simply a medical consideration.

Separate correspondence I received from DFAT in December last year confirms that the Australian Office Taipei has been monitoring Chen’s situation. The correspondence also notes that the Australian Office has been in touch with Chen’s supporters and has been briefed by them on their concerns about his treatment.

More general discussion of human rights issues is found in the cable dated 19 June 2009 titled “Recent developments in human rights”. It notes Taiwan’s ratification of the two main United Nations covenants on human rights. It then discusses several key human rights issues. The first of these is the judicial system. It notes scholars have argued there are weaknesses in Taiwan’s legal system particularly in pre-trial detention and [lack of] impartiality of the judiciary. It then discusses these concerns specifically in the case of Chen Shui-bian.

The other human rights issues discussed in this cable are the Assembly and Parade Law and the death penalty. The cables says there is “little debate about the death penalty in Taiwan.” This is in the context of there having been no executions carried out since December 2005. Executions resumed following a four year de facto moratorium in April 2010. There is no mention of these or subsequent executions in any of the cables.

Overall the cables highlight that the trials and detention of Chen Shui-bian have been closely monitored by the Australian government, but other human rights issues in Taiwan are barely mentioned. The lack of any discussion of executions that resumed under the Ma government shows a significant blind spot in Australia’s diplomacy.

*File: DFAT cables Taiwan. When reading the cables please note there have been redactions in accordance with the FoI Act. Section 22 refers to  material considered irrelevant to the request. Section 33 is material which is diplomatically sensitive. Section 47 is to protect the privacy or identity of individuals.

• Music without borders
• Freedom of assembly is a basic right
• Once was a prison
• Rock for rights
• Tibetans to lead peace walk in Taiwan

For many months now, I have been closely following reports in the Taipei Times about the health of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). I have felt dismayed by the decline in his health in recent months.

Video released recently provides evidence of the deterioration of Chen’s condition. I was also shocked to read that Chen was unable to attend a court hearing because he could not speak properly (“Church lambasts Ma over treatment of Chen Shui-bian,” March 2, page 3).

An international group of human rights experts has just issued a series of recommendations on improving human rights in Taiwan. These included the recommendation that the government take “appropriate action” concerning the health of Chen Shui-bian. (“Rights experts call for end to death penalty,” March 2, page 1).

The experts did not specifically recommend what action the government should take, but it is clear that they regard Chen’s treatment in prison and current situation in the Taipei Veterans General Hospital as unsatisfactory.

A week earlier, the Control Yuan issued a report recognizing “flaws” and “negligence” in the way in which the Ministry of Justice and Taipei Prison have handled Chen’s health problems (“Control Yuan OKs report on ‘flaws’ in A-bian’s care,” Feb. 23, page 1).

Both the Control Yuan and the group of international experts have made recommendations based on consideration of the available evidence.

It is time that the government acted on this evidence by granting medical parole to Chen.

• Freda Angelina – 2013-04-22 06:02:34
• Questions about judicial independence
• YouTube, Taiwan and A-bian
• Will Ma meet the Dalai Lama?
• 228 Memorial Day in Taipei

Lin Ting-an (林庭安) is a Taiwanese student who visited Noam Chomsky and several other academics in the USA and asked them to support the campaign against a media monopoly in Taiwan. She took the photograph above of Chomsky holding a sign written in Chinese opposing media monopoly. The photo was widely republished in the Taiwanese media.

Now the Chinese-language China Times is claiming Chomsky was misled about was written on the sign. China Times is owned by the Want Want Group which is part of the consortium seeking to purchase the Taiwan assets of Next Media and create a media monopoly. They have an obvious interest in discrediting the student led campaign against a media monopoly in Taiwan.

The Taipei Times has covered the story over the past two days. Yesterday they printed an article in which Lin Ting-an explained her meeting with Chomsky. Lin has published the full text of the email she sent to Chomsky to arrange the meeting. You can see the text of the email here. In the email Lin clearly explained the campaign against a media monopoly in Taiwan. She also provided an English translation of the sign she photographed Chomsky with.

Today the Taipei Times published another article saying the China Times had intensified its attacks. The China Times claimed Chomsky and another US academic, Ned Block, were misled by Lin Ting-an. This was based on an email Chomsky had sent to Liu Shih Diing (劉世鼎), an associate professor at the University of Macau.

The China Times has an obvious interest in discrediting the movement which is trying to stop it from expanding its control of the Taiwanese media. They previously attacked NTHU student Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷), a leader of the anti-media monopoly movement who famously criticised the Minister for Education in the legislature.

I contacted Noam Chomsky by email with a few questions about the issue and he replied within a few hours. He said a “stream of journalists” had written to him from Taiwan. He provided the following statement which he also sent to journalists from Taiwan.

I have been in touch with my friend Ned Block, a philosophy professor at NYU, who was also photographed holding a poster. His experience was the same as mine. Both of us were under the impression that the poster called for freedom of press and opposed monopoly, and said nothing about China. I don’t charge anyone with deceit or misrepresentation. I assume it was simply a misunderstanding, resulting from the fact that neither of us reads Chinese.

I must add that I first became aware of Chomsky about 20 years ago via his book Manufacturing Consent. This is an influential tome about how the media in the United States acts as a propaganda machine to defend the political and economic interests of the state and large corporations.

Chomsky has consistently advocated for freedom of the press for many decades. He has also been a victim of  the US media’s self-censorship as they have consistently ignored the views of Chomsky and others from the left. It should be obvious what Chomsky stands for even if he cannot read Chinese.

• Peak oil is a big problem
• Taiwanese language learning materials
• Taiwan needs to embrace clean energy

Michael Turton posted some statistics on the number of murders in Taiwan on his blog. I thought it would be interesting to graph this data alongside the number of executions carried out under the death penalty. I have used this data to create the chart above. The data pretty much speaks for itself. The number of murders peaked in 1996 while the number of executions peaked in 1997. The murder rate has steadily declined since while the number of executions has also fallen with a moratorium in place from December 2005 to April 2010.

At the moment Taiwan is facing considerable international pressure to abolish the death penalty. Amnesty International are actively campaigning for death row inmates Chiou Ho-shun (邱和順) and Cheng Hsing-tse (鄭性澤). Both these cases involve the use of torture by police to extract confessions, an issue which I highlighted in my recent letter to the Taipei Times.

Additional pressure has come from two members of an international committee invited to Taiwan to assess the implementation of the two United Nations human rights covenants. Manfred Nowak and Eibe Riedel wrote to President Ma Ying-jeou in November asking him to guarantee no executions would be carried out before they visit Taiwan in February.  Joelle Hivonnet, a senior diplomat in the EU, also recently called on Taiwan not to resume the death penalty and to strive for its abolition.

*If you would like to create your own visual representation of the data you can use this spreadsheet. The data on the number of executions came from Wikipedia.

• Time to end the death penalty
• Letter about the death penalty in the Taipei Times
• World moving towards abolition of the death penalty: Hood
• Film festival to promote dialogue on death penalty issue
• Why Taiwan must abolish the death penalty

Many of Taiwan’s human rights problems are rooted in a transition to democracy without transitional justice. The legacy of the authoritarian party-state that governed Taiwan during Martial Law still influences the politics of the present.

The case of Chiou Ho-shun (邱和順) has spanned almost the entire post-Martial Law period. In many ways Chiou’s case is symbolic of Taiwan’s human rights problems.

Chiou was first sentenced to death in 1989. The case against Chiou was based on confessions under torture which were later retracted. In 1994, two prosecutors and ten police officers were convicted for using torture to obtain confessions in one of the cases. Chiou remains on death row and Amnesty International are campaigning for a re-trial of his case.

The case of the Hsichih Trio shares much in common with that of Chiou Ho-shun. The three men were also convicted on the basis of confessions extracted by police using torture. They spent 21 years in a legal battle during which they faced the death penalty and spent 12 years in prison. The trio were finally acquitted this year (‘Hsichih Trio’ are finally freed, Taipei Times, 1 Sep. 2012). .

More recently there have been concerns about the judicial process being used as a political tool. Since 2008 a number of politicians from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have faced trial on corruption related charges. In cases such as those of Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) and former National Security Council head Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) the defendants were found not guilty. This lends weight to claims of judicial persecution (Rooting out political corruption, Taipei Times editorial, 3 Dec. 2012).

All theses cases highlight the need for judicial reform. This has been something that President Ma has promised since he was first elected in 2008. Yet up to now he has delivered precious little. With Ma’s party controlling both the executive and legislature there is no excuse for the lack of action.

Furthermore, in 2009 the Ma government ratified two important United Nations human rights treaties. These treaties do not specify abolition of the death penalty, but impose strict standards on its use (Taiwan’s sham over death penalty, Taipei Times, 17 Nov. 2012). In spite of this Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators recently put forward proposals to expand the range of crimes in which the death penalty should apply (Death penalty changes proposed, Taipei Times, 5 Dec. 2012).

Although Taiwan’s government is failing, it’s civil society is blooming. The tireless work of organisations such as Taiwan Association for Human Rights (台灣人權促進會), Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (台灣廢除死刑推動聯盟) and the Judicial Reform Foundation (司法改革基金會) has contributed to many important human rights gains over the past two decades.

The annual LGBT Pride Parade highlights Taiwan’s tolerance and the ongoing efforts of the LGBT community to gain important rights.

Taiwan’s youth also provide cause for hope. University students are at the forefront of the current movement against a media monopoly. Some of these students drew on their experiences in the 2008 Wild Strawberry Movement (Student protest leader speaks on civil liberties, Taipei Times, 3 Dec. 2012).

Taiwan’s transition to democracy without transitional justice means that the people must be ever vigilant and active in standing up for human rights. Justice and human rights in Taiwan will only come through a grassroots effort of the people.

*This is a longer version of a letter published in the Taipei Times on 8 December. On the same day the Taipei Times published an article about a survey by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy that showed Taiwanese people feel human rights are deteriorating.  On 7 December Amnesty International released a statement saying that the government should not bow to public pressure to use the death penalty.

• Data and the death penalty
• Once was a prison
• Rock for rights
• Tibetans to lead peace walk in Taiwan
• Letter about the death penalty in the Taipei Times

Is there an unfortunate misunderstanding about German politics and history among some Taiwanese?

After two of us had to clarify the path Germany took to abolish the death penalty, (“Real deal behind abolition,” March 17, 2011, page 8), we now have to clarify a misrepresentation of the anti-nuclear stance of Germany’s Green Party (“Anti-nuclear protesters confronted by Taipower ‘thug’ police: DPP lawmaker,” Sept. 10, page 3).

Contrary to allegations made in an article on Taipower’s Web site, the German Green Party was partly founded by people emerging from the popular anti-nuclear movement formed during the 1970s. It always had a staunch and unwavering anti-nuclear platform, and, most importantly, has been a key factor in pushing Germany toward a path of sustainable energy based on clean renewable energy and away from dirty coal and potentially calamitous nuclear fuel.

Germany is now a world leader in producing and installing renewable energy, such as wind power, thanks in large part to the Green Party’s insistence of giving clean energy a chance during its stay of power in German’s national government in the early 2000s.

Moreover, it was the current center-right German government which officially ended the use of nuclear power in Germany after the Fukushima accident struck because, according to various opinion polls, almost 80 percent of the German population supported an abolition of all nuclear power.

Consequently, the conservative government under Chancellor Merkel felt that it had no other choice but to withdraw its support.

Therefore, it is laughable to suggest that the German Green Party lost elections because of its anti-nuclear stance. Rather, it won several elections because of it, including a historic win in Baden-Wurttemberg in March last year which ousted the ruling pro-nuclear center-right coalition after six uninterrupted decades in power.

There are many arguments to be made against nuclear energy (“Nuclear is no answer,” March 28, 2011, page 8) which we do not want to rehash here.

Just one reminder: More loss of land and suffering of people was caused by the Fukushima disaster than could ever be gained by winning sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), which take up so much of the media’s attention at the moment — but then the media’s attention is always easily diverted.

What we hope for is that all the nations of the world, including Taiwan, will embrace the path toward clean energy adopted by Germany, Denmark and other countries which clearly illustrates that countries can gain energy independence and security while being economically successful without having to pollute the planet for centuries or even millennia to come.

Bruno Walther,Taipei
Linda Arrigo,Taipei
Peter Chang,Taipei
Jens Damm,Tainan
Paul Jobin,Taipei
David Reid,Taradale, Australia
Scott Simon,Ottawa,Canada
Thorsten Spath,Taipei
Gunter Whittome,Taipei

 

• Environment report card for Taiwan
• The Ugly Isle
• Peak oil is a big problem
• Climate change is very real
• Energy is a hot topic

Taiwan: Snapshots of Democracy in Action (我鏡頭下的民主時刻) is a photo book by Taiwan-based German journalist Klaus Bardenhagen (aka taiwanreporter). As well as being packed with photos it is fully bilingual with text in English and Chinese.

The book covers the period from 2008 to 2012 which was Ma Ying-jeou’s first term as president. Events are neatly bracketed by coverage of the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

The collection of photos capture some of the diversity and vibrancy of Taiwanese democracy. The book shows how the place named Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall by the Chen Shui-bian administration reverted to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall under Ma Ying-jeou. This site of contest reflects the wider contest between green and blue in Taiwan politics. It also shows some of the purple through images of Falun Dafa (法輪大法), the annual LGBT Pride parade, anti-nuclear protests and the battle between the economy and the environment.

Two major events that seem to be missing from the book are the protests that erupted during the first visit of Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin in December 2008 and Typhoon Morakot in August 2009. In many ways these events and their aftermath set the tone for the first term of Ma’s presidency.

Overall the book is a little short but it serves as a very useful introduction to Taiwan for the uninitiated. It highlights the diverse and colourful nature of Taiwan’s civil society as well as its polarisation. For me it is a nice souvenir as it covers much of the period I lived in Taiwan and I observed many of the events pictured in the book.

*For details about how to order the book see taiwanreporter’s website. It is available in ebook format for Apple devices or hard copy.

• Between democracy and authoritarianism
• Freedom at last
• Glimpses of democracy or dictatorship?
• Four characters removed from Democracy Hall
• Understanding the struggle for democracy

A few days ago I received a long awaited package from Taiwan in the mail. It contained copies of a new book, Taiwan Since Martial Law: Society, Culture, Politics, Economy.

I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the book because it contains a chapter I wrote titled, “Nation vs. Tradition: Indigenous Rights and Smangus.” The chapter is based on the research I did for my thesis in the Masters of Taiwan Studies program at National Chengchi University (NCCU).

While it is great to finally hold the book in my hands it is important to acknowledge the great amount of work that went into its production. Thanks must go to David Blundell for his tireless work as the editor. Many others were also involved in the project. The quality of the final product shines through in the beautiful artwork and design on the cover.

I feel quite honoured to have my work published alongside well known Taiwan scholars including Michael Hsiao, Ann Heylen and Jon Sullivan. Several of my classmates from the Taiwan Studies program at NCCU also contributed chapters to the book.

25 years have passed since the end martial law in Taiwan. In more human terms this period of time is a generation. The most obvious development in this time is Taiwan’s transformation from an authoritarian regime to a democracy. Taiwan’s democratic trajectories are outlined by Bo Tedards in the opening essay of the book. Tedards writes that “the process has not been a linear one, and nor is it quite complete.”

The process of democratisation is further explored in articles such as Jonathan Sullivan’s on election campaigning and Gary and Ming-yeh Rawnsley’s article on the media in democratic Taiwan. Human rights are addressed in Daniel Bowman’s chapter comparing the human rights policies of Ma Ying-jeou and Chen Shui-bian. Janet Tan looks at the need for a civil rights protection system.

The lifting of martial law not only created the political space for democracy to develop; it also brought about a renaissance as peoples rediscovered their identities and relocated themselves in the environmental space of Taiwan. Ann Heylen’s chapter discusses the “greening” of Taiwan history – the emergence of new historical narratives based around Pingpu identity, and the 228 Massacre and White Terror. Al Chung-chieh Wu looks at the emergence of a Hakka ethnic movement. Constance Woods details the resurgence of local identity in her case study of the Beitou Hot Springs Museum.

The book also contains several chapters on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. In addition to my chapter on Smangus, Jackson Hu looks at how the Yami of Orchid Island have used memory of place to revitalise their cultural knowledge. Yayoi Mitsuda describes how the Thao people were the first new indigenous group to gain official recognition in 2001 ending the “nine tribes” classification that had dominated for almost a century.

I have not mentioned all the contributors and will leave it to those who read the book to discover more. My recommendation is of course biased, but I hope this book will help people better understand the diverse and vibrant society of contemporary Taiwan. It will also serve as a useful textbook for any student of Taiwan Studies.

*The table of contents is available here. In Taiwan ou can purchase the book from NTU Press or books.com.tw. If you are outside Taiwan you can purchase the book from Amazon.com (affiliate link).

• The art of martial arts
• Links 16 July 2007
• Youth must speak out to protect internet freedom
• Links 7 January 2008
• Transitional justice and Taiwan

Back in January 2009 I attended a screening of the documentary “Voices from the South: Kaohsiung’s Independent Music Scene” at The Wall in Taipei. The documentary, directed by Don Quan, was about the indie music scene in Kaohsiung. The film followed the fortunes five Kaohsiung bands and four of these bands (KoOk, Orange Doll (橘娃娃), Shy Kick Apple (害羞踢蘋果) and Fire Ex (滅火器)) also performed at The Wall following the documentary screening which made it a unique experience.

Four years have now passed since Don Quan made the original documentary and he is now planning a follow up titled “Dig The New Breed: Voices From The South Part II.” I contacted Don by e-mail to ask him some questions about his new documentary project and the current state of the indie music scene in Kaohsiung.

Don is also the owner of the Mercury, a bar and live music venue in Kaohsiung. I asked him how the fallout from the Ala Pub fire in Taichung in March 2011 had affected Kaohsiung venues. “About a week after that incident, the fire marshals showed up at Mercury to do a thorough check to make sure the venue was up to code (it was/is). However one venue, The Living Room, was forced to close down because they could not afford to install necessary equipment to get their premises up to safety standards. The owner, Ya-Bao, had a very public battle with government officials (it was in all the newspapers) trying to save his venue, but to no avail.” Don also notes that, “In the four years since Voices from the South, three venues have closed up shop.”

Music festivals are the other major outlet that provide an opportunity for bands to perform. Spring Scream is Taiwan’s longest running festival and the biggest festival in the south of Taiwan. Don says, “Major festivals here are an excellent way for bands to get exposure. Spring Scream is good for younger, newer bands who may not be that well-known. In addition, just playing at such an event is good experience, and can boost bands’ self-confidence. Many of the better-known indie bands cut their teeth playing the Scream every year.”

The other major festival in the south of Taiwan is Mega Port. “Mega Port used to just feature the more well-known of the indie crop, but this year, they added a free stage which was used to feature new up-and-coming bands. I think events like these can do much as far as inspiring future musicians. They will see the thousands of people in attendance and think ‘Yeah, maybe that could be me on that stage playing to all these people,’” Don said.

“Voices from the South” (Part I) focused on five Kaohsiung bands. Three of these are no longer in existence. Part II will have updates on what happened to the bands in the first documentary. It will also focus more on the entire scene, looking at the history and development of indie music in Kaohsiung. Don plans to look at “the main players behind the scenes, the music shops that foster these bands’ development, and the new venues that currently provide a stage for the bands.”

Don notes that the scene in Kaohsiung went through a period of stasis before a recent resurgence. “The emergence of new bands was almost non-existent, but suddenly in early 2011, several new groups just sorta popped up out of nowhere. Moreover, everywhere I go now, I see kids with guitar bags strapped to their backs alongside their school bags.”

However, a lack of suitable venues is holding back the development of new bands. “I think there’s no shortage of interest in playing in a band, but resources are lacking, particularly venues. With the loss of ATT and Living Room, students now don’t have a place to hold their mini-festivals where like 10 to 20 young bands will get together for a day and play for their friends and peers. It’s probably the biggest thing missing from the scene right now,” Don wrote.

Another difficulty faced by bands in Taiwan is the lack of support from the media. Don noted how the internet had made it easier for bands to promote themselves, “but in the western world, college radio has always been an important launching point for bands. Sadly, college radio doesn’t exist in Taiwan, so bands have to find other ways. I think even if each and every commercial radio station dedicated just one or two hours a week to featuring Taiwan Indie, that could go a long way in bringing indie into the general consciousness.”

The other problem is geographical. “Venues for indie bands are few and far between, when you look at it from a per capita perspective. If you want to ‘tour’, you can play four cities, and that’s it,” Don wrote.

However, this may be changing for the better. “I think college music clubs are slowly changing this by actively promoting indie bands on their campuses all over the island. In 2010, I got a request from a campus group in Hualian for a copy of my film. They had some little festival on their campus and I believe brought in Fire Ex and some other bands to play,” Don wrote.

Part one of “Voices from the South” was screened around Taiwan. However, Don plans to reach out beyond Taiwan with the next documentary. “The new film is being made because I want to bring this scene to a global audience. With the GIO sending bands to Canada and the US (SXSW, CMJ, Canadian Music Week, etc.), I think the time is right to go international with this,” Don wrote.

Don mentioned that Exclaim! magazine from Canada is helping out with the project and can help to promote the film in Canada. I earlier reported on how a team from Exclaim! were impressed by Taiwan on their 2010 visit.

Don is seeking to raise US$5,000 to cover the costs of the project via the crowdfunding website Indiegogo. Please dig into your pockets to contribute if you can afford it. You can also check the Voices from the South blog for updates on the project.

• Voices in the Clouds: a search for identity and belonging
• Smangus documentary to screen on PTS
• Paris and Taipei cycling experience
• Links 9 February 2009
• Amis Hip Hop documentary

SoS is an annual conference organised by the Australian Student Environment Network (ASEN) which connects campus environment collectives from around Australia. I first attended SoS in 2004. Incidentally the 2004 conference was also the first time I met John Seed. I later had the chance to travel around Taiwan with John and visit some indigenous communities including Smangus.

My presentation, titled “The Story of Smangus: Indigenous Rights in Taiwan,” started with some background information about Taiwan and its indigenous peoples. I then followed this with some discussion of the Smangus community and the legal case about the right to use wood from a wind-fallen tree. As the key theme of the conference is sustainability I wanted people to know more about how the people of Smangus have used their traditional knowledge as the basis for a sustainable community. The word sustainability is often misused, but I think the people of Smangus and other indigenous peoples around the world have practiced sustainable ways of living for hundreds or even thousands of years. There are many lessons that can be learnt from them.

Indigenous issues are a major theme at SoS. The plenary on the first day of the conference was on sovereignty. Grassroots Aboriginal activists spoke about the topic. Their perspectives presented a radical challenge to the mainstream discourse on this issue in Australia. This afternoon I had the chance to further explore some of these issues in a workshop about working with indigenous communities. The workshop talked about the need for “decolonising our minds” in order to work effectively with indigenous peoples for justice.

*You can find the pdf file of my presentation here.

• Smangus documentary to screen on PTS
• Smangus and the tree stump
• Approaching storms and millet harvest in Smangus
• Journey to Smangus
• High Court delivers not guilty verdict in Smangus case