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Choice of words creates problems for SEF
officials
EMBARRASSMENT:The producer of a video made for the Straits
Exchange Foundation has apologized for using a word that could be offensive to
the Amis
Staff Writer
In the legislature yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ying
questions why an Aborigine was addressed using the term pa-nga, which she says
is pejorative in the Amis language, in an video commissioned by the Straits
Exchange Foundation.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Premier Wu Den-yih (§d´°¸q) and the producer of a Web commercial paid by the
Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) yesterday apologized over an offensive remark
about Aborigines.
¡§I am truly sorry about this. I did not mean to hurt anybody,¡¨ producer Tsai A-ga
(½²ªü¹Ç) said, adding that the contents had been changed and he would apologize
again to Aborigines on his Facebook account and blog.
In the foundation-sponsored commercial, Tsai used the term pa-nga (º]¥J) when
referring to Aborigines, a term Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator
Chen Ying (³¯¼ü) said could mean ¡§penis¡¨ or ¡§loose women¡¨ for Amis Aborigines.
Straits Exchange Foundation Deputy Secretary-General Maa Shaw-chang (°¨²Ð³¹) said
the foundation had voluntarily removed the term after it found that the usage
was inappropriate.
Maa said the ad was meant to encourage more people to participate in an event
celebrating the foundation¡¦s 20th anniversary.
The public relations firm in charge of the event had hired Tsai to produce a
short online video to promote the event, and the video had been reviewed by both
the firm and the foundation.
¡§We have removed offensive remarks,¡¨ Maa said. ¡§But we thought the term pa-nga
was like a nickname used among close friends or family members. We didn¡¦t know
[what it means in] the Amis language. That¡¦s why we did not take it out in the
first place.¡¨
Maa said Tsai posted the video on his Facebook account and his blog on Feb. 23.
The foundation discovered a series of online discussions over the use of pa-nga
the same day and asked the public relations firm to remove the term from the
video. The foundation also immediately suspended the broadcast of the video
online.
Tsai closed his Facebook account and had removed the video from his blog by 12am
last Thursday, he said.
Addressing the legislature, Wu also apologized to Aborigines on behalf of the
government and confirmed that the offensive material had been removed.
In related news, about 50 Aborigines protested in front of the Taoyuan County
Police Department yesterday after a policeman was accused of making derogatory
remarks about Aborigines.
A resident of Dasi Township (¤j·Ë), Taoyuan County, said he was stopped by the
policeman and asked to take a breathalyzer test. The man, surnamed Lee (§õ), said
his request to take a drink of water before the test was refused.
Later, a Taoyuan County councilor surnamed Hong (¬x) came to help settle the
dispute. Lee was allowed some water and the test showed that Lee did not have
alcohol in his system.
Lee said the policeman was still angry and after he finished his shift, the
officer drove by his house and yelled ¡§bloody barbarians¡¨ in Hoklo (commonly
known as Taiwanese) using the loudspeaker in his police car.
Officials said the officer had been transferred to another unit.
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