On the 40th anniversary of the 228 Incident in 1987, democracy pioneer Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), in collaboration with activists Chen Yung-hsing (陳永興) and Lee Sheng-hsiung (李勝雄), organized a non-violent movement to commemorate the victims of the massacre.
The movement, which called for justice and peace, later garnered support from the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, and helped shed light on the history of the 228 Incident, a part of Taiwanese history that had been completely covered up by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Taiwanese’s desire for peace and justice was a simple wish, yet although martial law was lifted that year, military and police armed with batons launched a violent crackdown on demonstrators calling on the government to address the massacre that occurred across the nation.
Taiwanese welcomed the KMT when it came to Taiwan, believing the party’s arrival meant a “return to the homeland.”
However, the KMT occupied Taiwan, treated it like a colony and sought to plunder its natural resources wherever it could.
It was this colonialist approach that eventually led to the Incident, after which the party continued to execute Taiwanese intellectual and cultural elites.
By the Incident’s 40th anniversary, little had changed, and the KMT continued its rule as a foreign government.
Following the Kaohsiung Incident, also known as the Formosa Incident, which took place on Dec. 10, 1979, then-president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) made multiple attempts to crack down on efforts to democratize Taiwan.
On Feb. 28, 1980, two months after the pro-democracy demonstration in Kaohsiung, pro-democracy activist Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) mother and twin daughters were found murdered in the family’s house. Lin was in prison at the time and did not participate in the demonstration, having already been arrested in connection with the Kaohsiung Incident.
Despite the KMT’s retaliation, it never succeeded in stopping Taiwanese fighting for democracy.
Taiwanese suffered unprecedented pain on Feb. 28, 1947, but the Kaohsiung Incident showed that they only came back stronger. Their perseverance eventually led to the collapse of the KMT’s one-party state. The KMT tried to stop the party from falling apart by recruiting more members and collaborating with organized crime, but was not able to prevent its collapse.
It has been 30 years since the 228 movement calling for peace and justice began in 1987. Although the evil power of the party-state caused Deng to sacrifice himself for freedom, his spirit lives on. Before Deng’s death, he told his wife: “From now on you are on your own.”
His words have been an inspiration for the generation of Taiwanese that came after him, who took up the responsibility of fighting for democracy and was crucial in bringing the KMT to its demise.
Justice and peace have now become shared goals of the nation’s younger generation. The Incident has led to many abnormalities in society, as many people have developed the habit of keeping their heads down, while others have chosen to join the KMT or their affiliated organizations in the hope of gaining power.
Today, traces of the authoritarian party-state system still abound as transitional justice remains unrealized.
The road to political reform is fraught with obstacles. Although the night is over, the dawn is yet to break. Taiwanese must continue their effort to safeguard democracy.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Tu Yu-an
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