At the Cabinet's weekly meeting on Thursday, Premier Lai Ching-te touted Taiwan's indigenous languages as an important national cultural asset, saying that the Council of Indigenous Peoples' (CIP) language revitalization efforts including promotion, teaching, preservation and research have produced encouraging results that will create a friendlier environment with many everyday opportunities for indigenous language learning.
In remarks following a CIP briefing on the implementation progress of the Indigenous Languages Development Act, the premier said the act was promulgated on June 14, 2017 after 12 long years of legislation. This law represents the government's commitment to pursuing historical justice for the indigenous community, preserving and disseminating indigenous languages, and fulfilling indigenous peoples' expectations for the protection of linguistic rights.
The act also provides a legal foundation underpinning comprehensive protections for the preservation, usage, teaching, research and development of Taiwan's indigenous languages, he continued. Much progress has been made since its enactment more than a year ago: 74 public signs and notices in 55 indigenous regions have been posted in each region's indigenous language, the proportion of Taiwan Indigenous Television programs broadcast in indigenous languages has risen to 55 percent, and seven indigenous language learning centers have been inaugurated.