DPP lawmakers demand James Soong apologize

DPP demanded an apology yesterday from PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) who they said had suppressed pro-democracy movements during his tenure as the nation's top press official between 1979 and 1985.

They said Soong is unsuited to seek a political comeback by running for vice president next year unless he admits to past wrongs.

Their came a day before the government is due to release documents related to the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident, a pro-democracy rally that ended with mass arrests.

"Soong ruthlessly persecuted political dissidents while heading Government Information Office [GIO]," said DPP legislative leader Chiu Chui-chen (邱垂貞), who spent four years in jail for taking part in the anti-KMT demonstration. "Before Soong gives a clear account of his role at the time and makes redress, he is not qualified to talk about the nation's future."

He noted that between 1979 and 1982, the GIO shut down 15 publications advocating democratic reform, while subscribers of foreign-language magazines often received notices saying: "The last issue was not on sale due to sensitive contents."

Weeks the Kaohsiung Incident, Soong issued a statement describing the event's organizers as "violent, seditious elements" and their Formosa Magazine "a source of conspired riot," official documents show.

DPP Hsu Jung-shu (許榮淑), whose lawmaker husband Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏) was jailed in connection with the incident, said Soong suppressed free expression by banning the use of local dialects in TV and radio shows.

"Mistakes can be forgiven, but history must not be distorted or erased," Hsu said.

DPP You Ching (尤清) said a politician unwilling to confess past faults should not be given the chance to steer the country.