Statues of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) yesterday were defaced around the nation, including in Yilan, Nantou and Miaoli counties, in apparent acts of protest coinciding with 228 Memorial Day.
In Yilan City, slogans that read “Taiwan’s Hitler” and “Culprit of 228” were sprayed in red on a statue of Chiang in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park, while “China’s Founding Father” was sprayed on the park’s statue of Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙).
In Nantou’s Jhongsing New Village (中興新村), a statue of Chiang was covered with a white cloth cut to resemble a shroud.
A statue of Chiang in a Miaoli City parking lot was also defaced. A box, on which “Apologize” was written, was placed over the statue’s head, while a board hung from its neck read “Murderer.”
Vandalism of monuments honoring historical figures of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) have been common in recent years on 228 Memorial Day, a day dedicated to the remembrance of the 228 Incident — an uprising that began on Feb. 27, 1947, which was violently suppressed by the KMT government, marking the beginning of the White Terror era.
This year’s vandalism was preceded by public criticism of Chiang and Sun by academics last week.
Historian and Academia Sinica associate research fellow Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深) said that Chiang should no longer be commemorated in the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, because he bore “primary responsibility” for the Incident.
A panel of historians, including National Chengchi University Graduate Institute of Taiwan History director Hsueh Hua-yuan (薛化元), criticized the public veneration of Sun as party-state dogma and called for the abolition of laws that require the president and legislators to salute Sun’s portrait at inauguration ceremonies and at the start of legislative sessions.
A netizen who goes by the name “Shih Yu-Ming” on Facebook claimed responsibility for the defacement of the Chiang’s statue in Nantou and posted an image of the shrouded figure early yesterday morning with a caption that read: “You had no time for contrition, so I helped by covering you with this shroud for 228.”
Miaoli Mayor Chiu Ping-kun (邱炳坤) said that vandalism should not be used to express grievances or opinions about Chiang, adding that the city had sent work crews to clean the statue.
Although the Miaoli Police Bureau said that it is trying to identify the perpetrators of the defacement, the city government said it would not file charges “for the moment,” the Chinese-Language Apple Daily said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source