A memorial service was held by the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society at the old wall of the former Taipei Prison on Jinshan S Road on June 20 to honor the US airmen who were incarcerated in the prison in the last months of World War II, as well as the 14 men who were executed in the prison’s courtyard by a Japanese firing squad 64 years ago.
At 3pm, members of the POW Society and representatives from the Taipei City Government, the ROC Veterans Affairs Commission, the American Institute in Taiwan and other supporters gathered by the old entrance to the prison and marched to where a new plaque is located, led by Canadian bagpiper Mal Turner.
Dignitaries unveiled a plaque and Reverend David Homer of Grace Christian Church read a message and a prayer to dedicate the memorial.
Wreaths were laid alongside the plaque and 14 poppy crosses lined the wall in commemoration of the slain men. The piper played Amazing Grace and two minutes of silence were observed.
Michael Hurst, director of the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society said: “The courage of these Allied airmen must never be forgotten. They fought for their country and the cause of freedom and what they believed was right. They have all sacrificed much for our freedom — let us never forget!”
On Jan. 28, 1945, a PB4Y-1 Liberator aircraft was shot down over southern Taiwan and crashed in the sea after attacking Japanese ships.
Of the crew, six survivors were taken prisoner. One of those, who was severely injured in the crash, was sent to Japan where he finished the war in a hospital . The other men were imprisoned in Taihoku (Taipei).
On May 29, 1945, the five remaining crewmen and nine other captured US soldiers were tried before a Japanese “War Disciplinary Tribunal,” found guilty and sentenced to death. In the early hours of June 19, 1945, the men were shot in the prison’s courtyard.
The remaining prisoners were released on Sept. 5, 1945.
For more information on Allied prisoners of war in Taiwan during World War II, visit the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society Web site at www.powtaiwan.org.
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday criticized the nuclear energy referendum scheduled for Saturday next week, saying that holding the plebiscite before the government can conduct safety evaluations is a denial of the public’s right to make informed decisions. Lai, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), made the comments at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting at its headquarters in Taipei. ‘NO’ “I will go to the ballot box on Saturday next week to cast a ‘no’ vote, as we all should do,” he said as he called on the public to reject the proposition to reactivate the decommissioned
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report. “He told me: ‘I will never do
EXCEPTIONS: Some people could be allowed to reclaim citizenship for humanitarian reasons or because of their contributions to the nation, the interior ministry said Taiwan would soon unveil new rules banning Taiwanese residents of China from reclaiming their citizenship if they participated in Beijing’s propaganda activities, the Ministry of the Interior said on Monday. The measures were drafted following President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 directive that the government counter China’s espionage and influence campaigns aimed at undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty, the ministry said in a preview of the rules. The changes would affect Taiwanese who lost their citizenship after becoming permanent residents of China or obtaining passports issued by China, it said. Under the measures, former Taiwanese nationals living in China who had made statements denying the
RSS