President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged to clarify the attribution of responsibility for the 228 Incident in the most discreet manner possible, adding that she hoped future anniversaries of the tragic event could be marked by national unity.
Tsai made the remarks in her first speech on the 228 Incident as president, which was delivered at a memorial ceremony at the 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei on the 70th anniversary of the massacre.
“On Saturday last week, the Ministry of Culture proposed transforming the Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) Memorial Hall. This is the 70th anniversary of the 228 Incident and it is about time that changes are made. I believe Taiwan’s democracy is mature enough to have a discussion,” Tsai said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Reconciliation must be built upon truth, Tsai said, adding that the National Archives Administration would launch a new effort today to collect and organize documents concerning the Incident and the White Terror era that have been scattered across different government agencies.
Tsai said the results of the effort would provide the foundation for the government to compile a national investigative report on transitional justice, which would dedicate an entire section to the Incident.
“However, I must stress that we will adopt the most discreet attitude when dealing with the attribution of responsibility for the 228 Incident,” the president said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The 228 Incident refers to a crackdown launched by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime against civilian demonstrations following an incident in Taipei on Feb. 27, 1947.
The ensuing massacre and imposition of martial law marked the beginning of the decades-long White Terror era, during which thousands of Taiwanese were arrested, imprisoned and executed.
Bereaved families have long lamented the government’s failure to officially identify the main culprit responsible for the massacre.
Photo: AFP
Shrugging off criticism that the economy should take precedence over transitional justice, Tsai said that economic growth and social justice are equally important and the goal should be pursuing both.
Tsai concluded her speech by expressing the hope that the realization of transitional justice would free all political parties from the past authoritarian baggage, ensure the recovery of truth, facilitate reconciliation between the victims and the perpetrators and remove traditional political taboos.
“I also hope that the draft transitional justice promotion bill will clear the legislative floor in the current legislative session … so that we can have an independent agency responsible for promoting transitional justice,” Tsai said.
Hsueh Hua-yuan (薛化元), chairman of the 228 Memorial Foundation, said that the victims’ families have been longing for the truth and identification of responsible parties.
“As far as the foundation is concerned, finishing the transitional justice report to prevent history from being repeated is the most crucial and fundamental purpose of transitional justice,” Hsueh said.
The commemorative ceremony, despite being briefly interrupted by protests, also saw the president hand out certificates of good character to a number of victims of the 228 Incident or their families to restore their reputations.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS