While commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident, now recognized as a seminal episode in Taiwan's democratic development, DPP leaders yesterday demanded the government redress the wrongs of those convicted in its aftermath and restore the "historical truth" of the Incident.
DPP legislator Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) -- then a defense lawyer for the opposition politicians charged with sedition over the Incident -- said the government should take action through the legal system, rather than paying mere lip service to the event.
"When [former DPP chairman] Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介) passed away, President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Vice President Lien Chan (連戰) unanimously praised him for his contribution to Taiwan's democracy. And when some politicians yesterday revisited the prison where they had once been jailed, they were received as honored guests because of their contributions to peaceful reform," Chang said.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"Nevertheless, in the eyes of the law, these politicians are still convicted seditionists," Chang added.
Huang was sentenced and jailed for sedition over his part in the Incident, along with a group of other opposition activists who later also became key players in the DPP.
The Incident is considered to have ultimately prompted the KMT government to lift a ban on the formation of political parties in the 1980s, which made possible the founding of the DPP.
Chang said it is essential that lessons from the Incident are passed down to the next generation.
"We wish to establish the historical truth to avoid a repetition of such wrongs in the next generation," Chang said.
Chang said some mystery still surrounds the Incident, such as whether it was a trap set by the KMT in its battle against the opposition elite, or whether it was connected with the murder of the mother and two daughters of current DPP Chairman Lin I-hsiung (
"We wonder if these were actions ordered by the KMT to warn people against supporting the opposition movement," Chang said.
Chen Chi-mai (
"The main purpose of the law is to ensure the transparency of government information to facilitate public supervision and to restore the original look of historical incidents," Chen said.
Despite the past injustices and these many mysteries, Lin said the DPP is proud to say that Taiwan is a country today owing to its democratic development over the past two decades.
"Though our democratic system still isn't very stable, though social confrontation and contradictions left over by history remain, and though the justice, harmony and peace that we expected have not reached a perfect state, we now enjoy the right and ability to realize our dreams," Lin said in an official statement issued on behalf of the DPP.
Lin said the DPP hopes to push Taiwan's democracy to maturity through the transfer of power.
Responding to the DPP's demand for redress, high-ranking officials from the Executive Yuan said the government needs some time to study the matter.
The officials added that judicial investigation into the murder of Lin's family and Chen's murder will continue.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS