Huang family compensation awaits claimants

Nearly NT$3 million in compensation is languishing in the hands of the Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts (財團法人戒嚴時期不當叛亂暨匪諜審判案件補償基金會) four months after a legal hearing determined which of the children of late DPP party chairman Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介) were entitled to the funds.

"We have not paid the NT$2.7 million compensation to his children because, although the children have won their lawsuit claiming inheritance of Huang's compensation, they have yet to file individual claims for the money. We had to wait until the case was finished," said Ni Tsu-hsiu (倪子修), the

executive-secretary of the foundation.

The compensation for Huang's wrongful jailing over his involvement in the Kaohsiung Incident was temporarily frozen when the lawsuit was filed. But the suit was concluded on Nov. 8 last year, with a ruling that Huang's daughters and his biological son were entitled to claim the funds. They have yet to do so.

The Cabinet established the foundation -- consisting of 15 scholars, judges, government officials and victims' family members -- on March 9, 1999 to compensate the victims who had been wrongfully jailed or detained during the martial law era, from May 20, 1949 to July 14, 1987.

Huang was involved in the Kaohsiung Incident -- a state crackdown on Dec. 10, 1979 -- following an anti-government parade in Kaohsiung that was organized by Formosa Magazine. He was jailed for five years because he was the primary donor and sponsor of the parade.

The ruling KMT jailed eight people, including Huang, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德), Lin I-hsiung (林義雄), DPP Legislator Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), Council of Labor Affairs Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊), Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) and theologian Lin Hung-hsuan (林弘宣), for their involvement in the incident.

Ni said Huang filed a request for compensation for being wrongfully jailed as soon as the foundation was established in 1999. Due to the huge amount of claims, the foundation did not finish its review and approve the request right away.

Huang died at the age of 72 from a heart attack on Nov. 30, 1999. To claim the compensation themselves, his children, as his heirs, had to file a new claim. With that aim in mind, his daughters filed a lawsuit in 2000, prompting the foundation to freeze the money pending resolution of the case.

According to Ni, Chang, Yao, Chen and Lin Hung-hsuan of the Kaohsiung eight have received their compensation. In addition, Lu, Lin I-hsiung and Shih have yet to file a request for compensation.

"Maybe they have their reasons [for not filing]," Ni said. "We will pay Huang's children as soon as they file their application."

There are three sons and three daughters in the Huang family, including Huang Chi-wei (黃至慰), Huang Chi-the (黃至德), Huang Chi-jun (黃至君), Huang Wen-jo (黃文柔), Huang Wen-wei (黃文威) and Huang Wen-jeou (黃文九). Huang's wife Chang Yueh-ching (張月卿) also passed away on May 26, 1996.

According to Huang Chi-jun, his three sisters felt that Huang Chi-wei was extremely cold to the family, so Huang Chi-wei didn't visit Huang Hsin-chieh at all when he was terribly ill a few months before he passed away. In addition, Huang Chi-wei always tried to borrow money here and there from family members whenever he came home. As a result, they filed a suit to prevent Huang Chi-wei from inheriting the money.