Former dictator Chiang Kai-shek (
Chen delivered the blunt criticism of Taiwan's former authoritarian regime and its leaders at the opening of a forum held in remembrance of the massacre, in which tens of thousands of civilians were slain by government forces beginning on Feb. 27, 1947.
"[The 228 Incident] is not only a historical event, the mass killing also involves criminal and legal issues," Chen said.
"The people responsible for violating human rights should be prosecuted and stand trial," the president said.
Chiang, the president said, was ultimately responsible for the massacre, as he ordered soldiers from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime to suppress the uprising, which began after a confrontation between a woman selling black-market tobacco and government inspectors turned violent.
"[History] shows clearly that former Chinese Nationalist Party leader Chiang Kai-shek was the true murderer behind the 228 Incident," Chen said.
The two-day forum was organized by the 228 Incident Memorial Foundation to mark the 60th anniversary of the massacre.
Chen vowed to "gradually tackle" the legacy of authoritarian rule, including renaming Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the presidential burial sites, where Chiang and his son are buried.
The president described the two burial sites as "feudal products that do not conform to democratic trends," and calling the memorial hall a "building with a strong tinge of one-party rule."
"We expect to encounter opposition and obstruction, but we believe fairness and justice will eventually prevail," he said. "We hope the people will make the right choice and help us build the country into a more normal, complete, beautiful and advanced nation."
The 228 Incident was not merely a misunderstanding, as some people claimed, Chen said, but was part of a deliberate policy by a "foreign, authoritarian regime" to suppress the people of Taiwan.
Chen was referring to remarks made by former KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who described the massacre as a "crackdown" carried out by the KMT in response to missteps by local officials.
Chen said that if this had been true, there would have been no need for the Martial Law Era and subsequent dictatorial rule that lasted for 38 years.
"Such an argument is an attempt to cover up the atrocities committed by a dictatorship, and is revision of history by the perpetrators," he said, adding that such an argument cannot be accepted nor understood by the Taiwanese people.
Saying it was an undisputed fact that Chiang had ordered the military crackdown, Chen said he felt sorry for the victims and their families, because the perpetrators of the incident and their families still enjoy "imperial treatment," and have not been brought to justice.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator John Chiang (
The lawmaker said he would also sue Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun, who made similar remarks yesterday.
"No one is above the law," John Chiang said, adding that assigning blame for 228 was not something that politicians should do.
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