Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
The memorial ceremony, titled "Reflect humbly, hold a sincere dialogue and keep the promise," was staged to mark the 59th anniversary of the 228 Incident. It was first of a series of 228 memorial events the KMT arranged to work toward reconciliation with the 228 victims and their family members.
"While it was the government that made the decision [regarding the 228 Incident], the KMT was the ruling party and so the KMT is not without responsibilities," Ma said yesterday in his speech.
PHOTO: YU HSUEH-LAN, TAIPEI TIMES
The chairman said suppression of the government at that time was the main cause behind the incident.
"To prevent it from happening again, the government needs to avoid corruption," he said.
Ma said that the ceremony, which invited 228 victims, their family members and party officials to take part in sincere dialogue, was a "very important and meaningful event" and a crucial part of his efforts to promote reconciliation.
"Fifty-nine years after the incident, many victims or their family members are still sad, and it is hard for outsiders to understand how they feel. Without tolerance and understanding, the 228 Incident will never be put to rest," he said.
But Ma stopped short of a formal apology for the incident, which most of the 228 victims and their families were waiting for.
"I have already apologized so many times in the past," the chairman said later when confronted by the media.
Chang Liang-ze (
"The intention of this event is good, but it's not enough. Ma didn't offer an apology. He is not sincere," he said.
Some other families of the victims, on the other hand, said that they were not concerned about an apology.
"Is Ma's apology going to help to those who died [in the incident]? The apology is not important. What matters is to reform the KMT and transform it into a real Taiwanese local party," said Chang An-man (
In addition to Ma, KMT officials including KMT vice chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴), grandson of dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), also attended the ceremony.
Chiang's appearance at the ceremony upset some of the families. They demanded that Chiang offer an apology for what his grandfather did or else be expelled from the event.
A recent official report on the incident contends that Chiang Kai-shek was the mastermind of the 228 Incident. John Chiang said he understood the families' feelings, but refused to apologize because he rejected what he called "a report that lacks direct evidence."
"Until the truth comes out, there's no need for me to offer any apology," he said yesterday.
The 228 Incident refers to the KMT's bloody crackdown on demonstrators under Chiang Kai-shek's administration in 1947 after an incident in Taipei on Feb. 28 of that year. The incident culminated in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Taiwanese at the hands of KMT troops.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS