The Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) held the Land Title Handover Ceremony for Purchased Taiwan Sugar Corporation Land today (August 18) at the Hualien County Indigenous Peoples Cultural Center. Deputy Minister Adralriw Abaliusu personally presented land ownership certificates to 21 indigenous recipients, symbolizing the long-awaited return of ancestral land to its rightful stewards—a major milestone in land justice for Taiwan's indigenous peoples.

The land's history traces back to 1895, when regulations issued by the Japanese Governor-General's Office reclassified lands traditionally used by indigenous communities as public property. After Taiwan's retrocession, many of these lands were registered under Taiwan Sugar Corpation (Taisugar), forcing indigenous residents from 1946 to rent land that once belonged to their ancestors. To address this longstanding injustice, the CIP conducted a thorough review of Taisugar-leased lands that met legal requirements and initiated a purchase program to re-designate them as indigenous reserved lands.

The program has yielded substantial results, completing the acquisition of 57 parcels of land across Taitung, Hualien, and Pingtung counties, totaling approximately 1.44 hectares, and at a total cost of NT$74.3 million. After completion of the re-designation process, the lands will legally be allocated to indigenous individuals who had long leased and cultivated them. Once finalized, these residents will no longer pay rent and will officially regain ownership. In Hualien County alone, 24 parcels covering about 0.7 hectares in Xincheng, Shoufeng, Ruisui, Fenglin, and Guangfu Townships were returned in this round.

Deputy Minister Adralriw Abaliusu emphasized in his remarks: "This is not merely a land transfer—it is a firm government commitment to protecting indigenous rights and a concrete step toward achieving historical and transitional justice." He explained that the initiative was developed through the Indigenous Historical Justice and Transitional Justice Committee's Land Task Force, which, since 2018, has worked jointly with Taisugar to research historical archives and clarify ownership issues. After eight years of sustained effort, the successful cooperation between public and private sectors has realized the government's goal of implementing land transitional justice.

For the promotion of Taisugar land purchases and ownership restoration, the CIP extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Executive Yuan for allocating the purchase funds, as well as to the indigenous legislators, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior, the National Development Council, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Taiwan Sugar Corporation, the Hualien County Government, and the local township offices for their coordination and support. It was through this collective effort that such a historic milestone was achieved. Looking ahead, the CIP will continue to strengthen indigenous land legislation and governance to fully safeguard the land rights of indigenous peoples.