Katratripulr Tribe in Crisis: From Disney Dreams of Wealth to Solar Photovoltaics in Zhiben Wetland

Since 2017, the Taitung County Government has planned to develop solar photovoltaics on 260 hectares of public land at the mouth of the Zhiben River. However, the area traditionally belongs to the Puyuma "Katratripulr" tribe, and is protected under the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law. The county government commissioned a developer to enter the tribe and lobby for "obtaining tribal consent," which triggered internal divisions within the tribe.

Because the Katratripulr tribe was unwilling to convene a tribal council to decide on the development, in 2019 the Taitung City Office overstepped its authority and convened a meeting on the tribe's behalf to hold a consent vote. The result was 187 votes in favor versus 173 against, approving the solar developer's development of the tribe's traditional territory. However, at that meeting, many non-tribal members participated in the vote, sparking strong dissatisfaction within the tribe.

To defend the tribe's right to self-determination and traditional values, the "Laham" (equivalent to "chiefs") of the three major families of the Katratripulr tribe's traditional leadership held a press conference on April 18, announcing their intent to file a lawsuit. They argued that the tribal council convened by the city office had infringed on tribal autonomy, that the vote result was invalid, and demanded that the Bureau of Energy suspend review of the Zhiben solar project before the litigation concluded. (This article is divided into two parts; to read the next part, please click here)

From a Disneyland Wealth Dream to a Ready-Made Solar Development Target

Zhiben Wetland is located at the southern tip of Taitung City, at the mouth of the Zhiben River. Due to the force of Pacific wind-blown sand, the river channel was blocked off to form a lake. Because the lake receives water from the Shemagan River, its surface changes frequently, leading locals to give it the title "Dream Lake."

Guided by the Coastal Mountain Range and the mouth of the Zhiben River, Zhiben Wetland became the first stop in Taiwan for Pacific migratory birds. Every year it attracts winter migrants from the Northern Hemisphere and summer migrants from the Southern Hemisphere in turn to spend the winter here. The wetland has shallow shoals, deep pools, grasses, and tall trees with dead branches, making it an excellent ecological habitat for birds. In 2004, it was listed by BirdLife International as an IBA "Important Bird Area."

Besides being a habitat for birds, Zhiben Wetland had another master in the past: the Zhiben Puyuma "Katratripulr" tribe. In the tribal language, "Katratripulr" means "being together." Tribal members once farmed millet, fished and hunted here, relied on environmental resources to survive, and left behind history and legends here.

In 1949, when the Nationalist government came to Taiwan, Zhiben Wetland, originally the tribe's traditional territory, was designated as "national river land." In 1985, the Taitung County Government entrusted Zhiben Wetland to Jiedier Company to develop the "Zhiben Comprehensive Recreation Area," expropriating large tracts of land from tribal members with extremely low compensation for above-ground structures, proclaiming that a "Taiwanese version of Disneyland will be located in Taitung." For 30 years, Disney never materialized, and the undeveloped land became a paradise for wildlife, continuing to watch over the Katratripulr tribe.

County Government Lets Developer Move In Without Obtaining Tribal Consent

At the end of 2016, development winds rose again. The Taitung County Government planned to develop solar photovoltaics on 260 hectares of public land adjacent to Zhiben Wetland (160 hectares of power generation area), and commissioned Xiangteng Consulting Company to evaluate the solar benefits.

However, since the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law was passed in 2005, public agencies wishing to develop, use, or survey public land around a tribe must obtain the tribe's prior informed consent (FPIC). The Katratripulr tribe believed that the county government had not gone through tribal consultation before commissioning the consulting company's survey, and therefore refused to engage with the county government and the consulting company.

On January 5, 2018, the county government held its first briefing session in the tribe. Tribal cadres expressed their opposition, but the county government immediately issued a tender announcement for the "Zhiben Solar Development Project" on January 10. On April 2, Singapore-based Weineng Company won the bid. After development, the Taitung County Government was expected to gain more than 200 million yuan in royalty revenue each year.

The tribe reacted strongly against this. Kao Yu-cheng, section chief of the Finance and Economic Development Department of the Taitung County Government, said: "We consulted with the tribe many times but received no response. The public tender was only to commission a developer's planning. If the developer cannot obtain tribal consent, it will not develop." He further emphasized that the solar project site is public land, not announced traditional territory, and that the county government asking the developer to handle the consultation and consent vote in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law already constitutes handling matters to a high standard.

Developer Moves In to Lobby; If the Vote Passes, an Extra 20 Million in Incentives

After Weineng Company won the bid, in order to seek tribal consent for development, it set up a base and hired personnel as a bridge between the power company and the tribe. However, because the tribe's traditional organization declined, the pro-development side formed a separate "Friendly Tribe Group," hiring tribal members as staff and, with the support of the solar developer, using scholarships, aid for the poor, sponsored gifts, and skills training as pretexts to establish a feedback mechanism within the tribe and promote solar power generation.

According to the Taitung County Government's commitment, one-tenth of the annual 200 million yuan in royalties would be allocated as local feedback funds to help the tribe develop, and the developer was also willing to allocate an additional 3 million yuan each year as feedback to the tribe. Chen Hsien-wen, convener of the Friendly Tribe Group, said: "Traditional territory is still traditional territory even with solar panels built on it. It adds some value that can be brought into play. It has been abandoned for decades. With a company coming in, it may be possible to upgrade the tribe and improve life. Why give it up?"

Before the tribal council exercised its consultation and consent vote, Weineng Company even publicly added 20 million yuan in incentives. As long as the tribal council vote passed, Weineng would first give 10 million yuan in feedback funds, and if construction formally began, it would provide another 10 million yuan. The developer's lavish sponsorship became a source of suspicion for the tribe's opposing side.

Traditional Tribal Organization: The Developer Uses Friendliness as a Cover to Win Hearts, and Does Not Respect the Tribe

Katratripulr is a tribe with a high degree of self-