Hundreds of "White Terror" victims and their relatives yesterday launched a protest in front of the Executive Yuan, demanding equitable and fair treatment in the awarding of compensation for their unjust persecution during one of the darkest periods of Taiwan's history.
It was the second protest of its kind since the government established a special foundation with NT$10 billion in funds last December to handle the affair. The foundation was set up according to the terms of a law passed in May last year covering the disbursement of compensation for people who were persecuted during the so-called White Terror period.
The White Terror has come to be known as a period of severe repression in Taiwan's history when the government cracked down on numerous kinds of social movements under the directive of suppressing communism. Although details are often sketchy, it is commonly held to have begun in the early 1950s and continued until shortly before the lifting of martial law in 1987. Some 5,000 people are believed to have been executed and another 10,000 imprisoned during the period, according to justice ministry figures, though other sources claim the crackdown had as many as 90,000 victims.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Lawmakers from the DPP and the New Party were joined by New Party presidential candidate Li Ao (
The main point of yesterday's protest was the calculation of the compensation amount for White Terror victims and relatives, ranging from NT$6 million at the highest to a basic level of NT$100,000. It is supposed to be calculated according to penalties meted out or jail terms served, but the victims' group said the amounts on offer were far inferior to the package put together for victims of the 2-28 Incident.
Former DPP lawmaker Hsieh Tsung-ming (謝聰敏), who originally proposed the compensation legislation, lashed out at the Executive Yuan.
"All Cabinet members should be re-educated to improve their understanding of the law, since it mandates compensation according to the model set for victims of the 2-28 Incident."
The 2-28 Incident refers to a series of islandwide massacres conducted by newly arrived KMT soldiers from the mainland, which began around Feb. 28, 1947 and killed an estimated 20,000 people.
Known as the "Martial Law-Enacted Period Political Events Handling Association" (戒嚴時期政治事件處理協會), the protest's organizers pointed out that the government was initially willing to give each White Terror victim only half of the compensation that 2-28 Incident victims were awarded. A 2-28 Incident victim jailed for eight years and three months qualifies to receive NT$5 million in compensation, while a White Terror victim needs to have served a jail term of ten years to get the same amount, they said.
"Only in August did the government give some ground and raise the compensation amount to around 70 percent of that for a 2-28 Incident victim," they said, adding that this was still not enough.
Kuo Hui-ling (郭慧玲), secretary general of the association, said she would continue the struggle for parity. "The association will go on with its campaign to help the White Terror victims get what they deserve.
"Our future efforts will be focused on the two main agencies responsible for this issue -- the Ministry of National Defense and the foundation established by the government," Kuo said.
According to an investigative report produced by the Historical Research Commission of Taiwan Province (
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist