FORMOSA.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18165, 1 November 1930, Page 6

FORMOSA.

The aboriginals of Formosa, or Taiwan as the Japanese and Chinese call it, are again on the warpath. Little is known to these peoples, it being merely a matter of surmise that they are of Malayan stock. The island remained a terra incognita through the centuries until the Dutch arrived there in the 17th. century and remained for some 37 years until driven out by the Chinese, whose intercourse with the land prior to this had merely been through perfunctory visits of fishing vessels and an occasional trading junk. Under the Chinese regime one or two ports were opened to foreign commerce and trade was developed, but they made no attempt to subjugate the natives, and at first merely occupied the coastal areas. The Chinese realised that any attempt to subdue the aboriginals would involve the expenditude of a huge sum of money for the construction of otherwise practically useless military roads to make possible the movements of punitive expeditions into the practically inaccessible mountain fastnesses of the islanders. Later, as some of the most valuable products of the island, such as camphor and rattan, were obtainable only in the forests of the interior, the Chinese resorted to their agelong method of assimilation rather than subjugation. Chinese labourers on the outskirts of the occupied areas were encouraged to inter-marry with native women with the result that a gradually expanding area came to be peopled by a mixed race whose sympathies were predominantly Chinese. Thus did the officials from the mainland hope in course of time to bring peacefully under China's jurisdiction the whole of the island’s population. As in other parts of the Chinese Empire this process was proving markedly successful until foreign nations became interested in the island. Provided with’ the time-honoured excuse of murdered missionaries Britain in 1868 took possession of a part of Formosa, only to repudiate her action later and return the indemnity secured to China- As an outcome of the war in Cochin-China, France occupied an area in 1884-5. In 1895 as the result of the Sino-Japanese war the island was ceded to Japan. The Chinese indigenous to Formosa objected to this transfer of their allegiance and forming a republic rebelled .against the newcomers. Their demand was either independence or suzerainty by Great Britain. Tile latter was naturally not forthcoming and after some desultory warfare the rebellion collapsed and the Japanese entered into occupation of the Island insofar as the Chinese territories were concerned. Outside of these there was a belt occupied by the Pe-Pa-Hwans (semi-civilised natives and Chinese-aboriginal half-castes) which completely encircled the interior mountains of the aboriginals. The Japanese attempts to penetrate this region and bring the natives under th'eir control ended In failure. Their troops were withdrawn to the mountain borders of the Pe-Pa-Hwan belt and electrified barbed wire was placed around the whole of the interior with military posts at convenient distances. That the Chinese policy was much the wiser is proved by the- fact that the aboriginals have repeatedly descended on one or other of these posts and massacred the holders. The present raid is but one of a long uninterupted series that have occurred since 1895, and the Japanese are no further advanced in their occupation than they were in that year.