The Legislative Yuan passed a basic law Tuesday to regulate Hakka affairs, allowing the administration to use national resources in an ambitious plan to turn the country into a global Hakka culture research and interaction center. Council for Hakka Affairs (CHA) Minister Huang Yu-cheng disclosed the plan while announcing the legislation at a press conference held by Legislator Chao Li-yun of the ruling Kuomintang and her colleagues Chu Fong-chi and Hsu Yao-chang. Under the law, any townships, cities and communities in which Hakka people account for over 33 percent of the population will be listed as key Hakka culture development districts where the Hakka dialect serves as a required language at official events and in government agencies. Chao said there are 61 townships, cities and communities around the country qualified to serve as Hakka culture hubs. In addition, the law stipulates that the government should promote the circulation of Hakka language and proficiency certification in the dialect, establish a Hakka language data bank and take measures to encourage Hakka academic research while encouraging local colleges and universities to open departments and institutes focusing on Hakka affairs research. The law also demands the protection of Hakka media rights and assistance in the establishment of Hakka-language broadcasting and television channels. A national Hakka Day should also be set up to mark the Hakka spirit and culture, according to the law. Huang said the CHA will solicit public opinion before deciding which day of the year best represents the Hakka spirit. The law will not take effect until it is promulgated by President Ma Ying-jeou, a process that will take at least 10 days. According to CHA statistics released in 2008, in the broadest sense of the term, Hakka people comprised over 25 percent of the country's population, meaning there are 5.88 million people who identify themselves as Hakka people or as having Hakka blood. The Hakka people are concentrated in northern Taiwan's Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli areas, as well as the Kaohsiung and Pingtung areas in the south, with smaller presences in eastern Taiwan's Hualien and Taitung counties. 