Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) issued an official apology yesterday to victims and their families of the "1949 April 6 Incident (四六事件)," local media reported yesterday.
In his apology to the victims of the incident, Tzeng also said that all Taiwanese people should learn from this case to prevent a similar one from happening again.
"`White terror' [political persecution] must be banned from Taiwan's school campuses forever," Tzeng said. "The incident should be taken as an important lesson for human rights."
Meanwhile, Tzeng said that the Ministry of Education is now in discussions with National Taiwan University and National Taiwan Normal University to award the victims with an honorary degree as a form of compensation.
The incident began when police arrested 21 dissident students at National Taiwan University and seven at Taiwan Normal University on April 6, 1949.
The arrests triggered a clash between police and students, leading to the largest student movement before the "Martial Law Era" (戒嚴時期). Several hundred were arrested and some were even executed. The incident also marked the beginning of the so-called "White Terror" (白色恐怖) period as the KMT government later declared martial law on May 20 of that year.
Both National Taiwan University President Chen Wei-jao (
Chang Yi-huai (
Chang, an National Taiwan University graduate, was sent to prison for five years because of his "incorrect ideology." According to Chang, his friend was also sent to prison because he loved to read Mark Twain's novels. "The police insisted that Mark Twain was Karl Marx's brother," Chang said.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
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