“Ma Ying-jeou doesn’t understand the slightest thing about aboriginal people,” said Icyang Parod, APC’s minister during a press conference gathering 13 aboriginal chiefs from various Taiwan tribes.

Ma made the controversial statements on Dec.10 to aboriginal squatters from the Amis Tribe, who have been illegally residing on the bank of --indian River for more than 30 years. The Taipei County Government has decided to relocate the community by year’s end so it can open a riverside park across busy --indian city.

When an aboriginal woman came to Ma and asked his support in preventing the community from being relocated to a new complex built by city authorities, Ma lectured the elderly person and said, “I will treat you like a person ... and I will educate you well and provide you with opportunities.”

He further added that “Aborigines should adjust their mentality,” drawing the ire of various civic group island-wide.

“If you come into the city, you have to play by the rules,” he said.

Without further explanation, Ma Ying-jeou’s discriminatory comments resurfaced Wednesday after an anonymous source sent video footage of the campaign event to various Chinese-language newspapers.

The 13 aboriginal leaders then gathered with Parod, and chanted slogans asking Ma to apologize sincerely.

“Don’t believe that only a fraction of aboriginals are unsatisfied,” said Parod, who added that all 480,000 aboriginals are unhappy about Ma’s attitude that morning when he tentatively apologized twice.

Ma Ying-jeou said that his original intention was to express his caring for aboriginal people, before he added that “If some people feel unhappy for this reason, I accept to apologize.”

“Aborigines should have another opportunity to develop,” said Ma, regarding the new complex built for the Amis squatters from the --indian River.

“At the moment, we only ask Ma Ying-jeou to apologize,” said Parod in response to inquiries about the participation of the APC in the campaign to denounce Ma Ying-jeou. A reporter noted that it was the first time a Cabinet-level organization asked for apologies for discriminatory statements against aboriginal people.

“Many civic groups are already asking for an apology,” she said. “Why didn’t the APC equally condemn comments by legislators about how aborigines would ‘drink’ the NT$3,000 allocation given by the government earlier this year?”