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20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF MARTIAL LAW: Photographs from martial law era on display in Taipei

It was May 19, 1989. A funeral procession organized by the dangwai democracy activists for editor Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕) was marching in front of the Presidential Office. Suddenly a man set himself ablaze.

The man was caught on film by a photojournalist and the photograph was featured in an image exhibition that opened at the Presidential Office yesterday.

The exhibition, which includes photographs and video footage chronicling the martial law era, will run through July 27 and then move to Kaohsiung City's History Museum, where they will be on display from Aug. 8 to Aug. 26.

The event is part of a series of nationwide activities held to mark the 20th anniversary of the lifting of martial law. Yesterday's exhibit was held in conjunction with an issuing ceremony of a commemorative stamp set for the occasion.

Martial law was declared on May 19, 1949, after dictator Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) troops lost the Chinese Civil War to Mao Zedong's (毛澤東) Communist Party and fled to Taiwan.

Addressing the opening ceremony yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said the international pressure and trend of democracy had forced KMT authorities to relent after 38 years, the world's longest implementation of martial law.

In his struggle to win freedom of speech for his nation, Deng, then editor-in-chief of the Freedom Era Weekly (自由時代週刊), set himself on fire on April 17, 1989, as heavily armed police attempted to break into his office following 71 days of self-imposed isolation.

Deng had been charged with sedition after his magazine published a draft "Taiwan Republic Constitution" in 1988.

Describing the photographers featured in the exhibit as "invincible warriors," Chen praised them for risking their lives to record history.

Liu Chen-hsiang (劉振祥), a former photojournalist and now a professional photographer, said that one of the most memorable events in his seven-year career as a journalist was a protest organized by the then newly founded Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Nov. 30, 1986. The demonstration later became known as the "Taoyuan airport incident."

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the airport to welcome the return of politician Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) from the US. Hsu had fled abroad to avoid political persecution.

More than 30 protesters were arrested after a 10-hour standoff between demonstrators and authorities. Chan Yi-hua (詹益樺) was one of them. Three years later, Chan set himself on fire at Deng's funeral procession.

Pan Hsiao-shia (潘小俠), the photojournalist who caught the tragic moment on film, said it was one of the most unforgettable scenes he has ever witnessed.

Pan was stunned at Chan's sudden move because the protesters had just been struck by water cannons. The photograph shows Chan spreading his flaming arms like a cross and throwing himself on the barbed wire separating the crowd from the riot police.

He died of his wounds in the hospital at age 32.
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