In a speech marking the 57th anniversary of the 228 Incident yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (
He highlighted the strengths shown by Taiwan's people in the years since the bloody uprising and subsequent suppression in 1947, stressed the common travails and destiny of all Taiwan's ethnic groups and declared that now was the time for all groups to "affirm their sovereignty" over the island.
"The people alone are sovereigns of this piece of land," Chen said. "Taiwan must always be its own sovereign."
The president made his remarks at a ceremony commemorating the nation's 2-28 Memorial Day on Hoping (peace) Island in Keelung City, northern Taiwan, where the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government landed its troops from China to begin its bloody suppression in 1947.
The 2-28 Incident was triggered after an armed agent of the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau arrested an old woman selling contraband cigarettes on Feb. 27, 1947. Tens of thousands of people went to the streets to protest the KMT government's corruption and the protest finally became a riot. The government launched a military crackdown and thousands of people were killed or imprisoned in the following weeks.
Music played by trumpet and a string quartet began the solemn ceremony. Chen as well as the family members of some of the victims of the suppression observed a moment of silence for those who suffered in the 228 Incident.
Chen then led the family members in laying bouquets of flowers on a temporary monument on the stage in honor of the victims.
Earlier, the president had talked of how the 228 Incident had been a taboo subject for much of the last 57 years, but that he didn't see it as such. He called on people to reflect on the event with love, tolerance and introspection.
"With love for Taiwan, this nation and its people; with tolerance for history and each other; with introspection about the mistakes of the past and about ourselves; this should be our basic attitude toward the 228 Incident," he said.
Stressing ethnic harmony, Chen said that all the peoples of the island had suffered together, worked hard together and supported each other "under the same sun."
"Since we have come this far together, it should be said that the people of Taiwan are not forgetful, stupid or numb. Rather they are unrivaled in tolerance and courage," he said.
He reminded the audience that "for over 300 years, Taiwan was not a sovereign state and that the people of Taiwan were not the masters of their own household."
Nothing that Taiwan now enjoys, he said, was a gift from heaven or some occupying power, but the fruits of hard work on the part of the Taiwanese people.
Chen also paid tribute to China's role in Taiwan's culture and development, saying that affirming Taiwan's sovereignty did not mean "de-Sinicization."
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
A bipartisan group of US representatives have introduced a draft US-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership bill, aimed at accelerating defense technology collaboration between Taiwan and the US in response to ongoing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bill was introduced by US representatives Zach Nunn and Jill Tokuda, with US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar and US Representative Ashley Hinson joining as original cosponsors, a news release issued by Tokuda’s office on Thursday said. The draft bill “directs the US Department of Defense to work directly with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense through their respective
Tsunami waves were possible in three areas of Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Services said yesterday after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the nearby Kuril Islands. “The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, after the latest seismic activity in the area. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System in Hawaii said there was no tsunami warning after the quake. The Russian tsunami alert was later canceled. Overnight, the Krasheninnikov volcano in Kamchatka erupted for the first time in 600 years, Russia’s RIA
RSS