Taipei County Government officials said yesterday that they would order the demolition of a controversial war memorial in the county that critics say eulogizes Japanese militarism.
Taipei County Deputy Commissioner Lee Hung-yuan (
Imperial army
PHOTO: HUANG LI-HSIANG, TAIPEI TIMES
At issue is a memorial at the Wulai Waterfall Park in Wulai Township (
The structure comprises a series of stone tablets with inscriptions in Japanese that mourn the deceased soldiers, commend their bravery and sacrifice for Japan, narrate the history of the establishment of the team and express loyalty to the emperor of Japan.
According to a local media report, many recent visitors to the park were confused by the sight of a large number of Japanese flags flying there and expressed their displeasure at the construction of the monument.
The monument has also raised serious concern from Aboriginal Legislator May Chin (
May Chin, an independent legislator, emphasized that the Aborigines in Taiwan have the right to interpret their history, including that of their ancestors who were forced to fight for their Japanese colonial rulers, and that they cannot accept the imperialistic and militaristic concepts that the monument demonstrates.
`Repugnant'
May Chin added that the inscriptions on the monument are a distortion of history that is repugnant to the people of Taiwan and has hurt the Aboriginal population.
The legislator said she will meet with Aboriginal representatives to discuss the possibility of setting up their own monument to commemorate their ancestors.
Last year, May Chin visited Japan to demand the removal of the tablets for Taiwan's Aboriginal soldiers from the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. She also demanded that the Japanese government apologize and pay compensation for the persecution of indigenous residents during its colonial rule in Taiwan.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS