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Desmond Tutu to meet families of 228 victims

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan today for a one-week visit to meet the families of victims killed in the 228 Incident and share his experiences of reconciling the hatred caused by ethnic strife.

The 228 Incident refers to the uprising against the then Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration under dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) that began on Feb. 27, 1947, and was followed by a bloody crackdown resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.

Tutu will also visit former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄). Lin's mother and twin daughters were murdered on Feb. 28, 1980, while he was in jail for his involvement in the Kaohsiung Incident in December 1979, a pro-human rights rally that turned violent. The murder remains unsolved.

Tutu, a former primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, is visiting the country at the invitation of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated to the promotion of democracy and human rights in Taiwan and abroad.

The outspoken critic of South Africa's former apartheid regime will also attend a symposium on "transitional justice and fusion of national ethnics," which is to be held at the Grand Hotel in Taipei next Tuesday.

Tutu's schedule includes delivering a speech on reconciliation and forgiveness and meeting President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) before leaving Taiwan next Wednesday, ministry spokesperson David Wang (王建業) said yesterday.

Tutu, 75, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 in recognition of "the courage and heroism shown by black South Africans in their use of peaceful methods in the struggle against apartheid."

In 1986 he was ordained the first African South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, and in 1987 was elected president of the All Africa Conference of Churches. In 1995, Tutu was appointed head of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission by then president Nelson Mandela. He retired from office as Archbishop of Cape Town in June 1996.

In related news, when asked whether the Environmental Protection Administration intended to invite former US vice president Al Gore to deliver a speech on global warming, Wang said that the ministry considered it a good idea and would be happy to give assistance to this plan if needed.

Additional reporting by CNA
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