Groups hope for peace on new Reconciliation Day

Just over two years ago, a schizophrenic named Paul Lee stabbed and murdered Pastor Chueh and seriously wounded his two daughters after a church gathering.

But after five months of grieving and anguish, Chueh's wife, Dai Shu-wei (戴淑媺), said she no longer bore hatred for Lee, only love and forgiveness.

It is this sense of forgiving that more than 40 non-profit organizations want to promote through a Reconciliation Day on the last Saturday of December every year.

"We chose this date because we hope that by the end of the year everyone will be able to put their hard feelings behind them and reconcile with those they have fought during the year," said Chien Hsi-chieh, chief executive of the Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan (台灣促進和平基金會), the founder of Reconciliation Day, at a press conference yesterday.

Dai said it was prayer that relieved her of anger and despair.

"In the beginning, I could not forgive Paul Lee for what he had done to my family," said Dai, a spokeswoman for the Reconciliation Day promotion. "I tried to think of every way I could seek justice through the legal system.

"Now, I am full of joy because God is with me.

"I have forgiven Lee and am glad that the court sentenced Lee to life in prison instead of death," she said, adding that as long as one is not sentenced to death, there is always a chance for a constructive life.

Dai said that through Reconciliation Day, "we hope to promote and create a culture of peace, in which relations at all levels -- from interpersonal relationships to society as a whole -- will be harmonious, loving and respectful."