A critique of President Tsai Ing-wen's 2016 apology to the Indigenous peoples (Austronesians), questioning her motives and historical standing. The author argues that while the R.O.C. government may have had strategic development flaws, it did not commit mass atrocities against them. Instead, the historical scars—from the Mudan Incident to the brutal suppressions of the Japanese colonial era like the Musha Incident—were caused by Japan. The article suggests Tsai should demand an apology from Japan rather than apologizing on behalf of the R.O.C.
The article strongly criticizes the defense of bloody massacres during the Japanese colonial era put forward by a small number of Taiwanese people, condemning the argument that 'as long as they attacked China, it was fine' as 'the ugly side.' Japan's covetousness for Taiwan never ceased. Long before the Sino-Japanese War, it invaded Taiwan by exploiting the 'Mudan She Incident' under the guise of the Ryukyu Kingdom, aiming to use Taiwan as a strategic springboard for aggression against Southeast Asia and Mainland China.
The article records the history of Japan's invasion of Taiwan Province in 1874 using the 'Mudan Incident' as an excuse, where Ryukyuans were killed by indigenous people in Langqiao (now Manzhou Township, Pingtung). Japan first titled the King of Ryukyu to force a relationship as an excuse for invasion and sent spies for intelligence reconnaissance. Although the Japanese army suffered heavy losses due to indigenous resistance and environmental factors, they eventually forced the Qing court to pay 500,000 taels through diplomatic negotiations and acknowledge the legitimacy of Japan's military action, causing China to lose its suzerainty over Ryukyu.