President Chen Shui-bian (
The president made the remarks when he presented rehabilitation certificates to each of the victims or the representatives of the victims of the 228 Incident in a ceremony held at the Presidential Office. The certificates were co-signed by Chen and Vice President Annette Lu (
"The 228 Incident was Taiwan's biggest historical wound since World War II, " the president said. "The people of Taiwan wanted social justice and democratic reforms, but were relentlessly suppressed by the KMT government, resulting in heavy casualties among the Taiwanese elite and ordinary civilians."
The KMT government, trying to cover its actions, labeled the incident a "mutiny," and the victims "mobsters," he added.
The president said that a rehabilitation certificate will not bring back past lives, but he was convinced that the incident was brought into the public consciousness only after the efforts of so many democratic forerunners.
After "scores of years of declassifying files and the investigation of oral historians, " the president said the 228 Incident is no longer just a "violent disturbance," or described as "Communist China orchestrating mobsters," but was "a protest against social injustice, a demand for democracy, and the advocacy of Taiwanese people ruling Taiwan," which he said has become the "228 spirit" and an "asset of Taiwan's historical culture."
He stressed that to "right the wrongs, pursue historical truth and social justice is the root of a nation based on human rights, and the rehabilitation of names of the 228 Incident is the upholding of human rights, and a milestone for Taiwan."
He extended his apologies again to the victims and their relatives for their sufferings over the years, hoping that every one in Taiwan would "learn from the incident, and work toward making Taiwan a just, peaceful country with dignity."
Speaking at the same occasion, Vice President Lu said that there should not be only concerts and flowers in memory of the incident each year, but that all generations should "learn the historical truth."
The 228 Memorial Foundation has agreed to do more to let the nation learn about the incident, she said.
The 228 Incident is so called after a rebellion against the KMT's venal and brutal rule which broke out on Feb. 27, 1947.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
RSS