Twenty years after martial law was lifted, memories from the martial law era still haunt not only those who were put behind bars as a result of political persecution but also their family members.
"I come from a family that was labeled as `the family of Chinese Communist spies,'" Chang Ying-chue (張瑛玨), vice chairwoman of the White Terror Victims Association, told the Taipei Times yesterday.
"I call myself `Chinese Communist spy sister.'"
1949
Like other victims of Taiwan's White Terror, Chang's family first became the target of persecution after martial law took effect on May 20, 1949.
One of Chang's elder brothers, Chang Bi-chiang (
Chang Bi-chiang, like many other political prisoners during the period, was never given a reason for his arrest, even after being sentenced to 12 years in prison.
To this day the family does not know what sparked the arrest, Ching Ying-chue said.
EXTENDED SENTENCE
Chang Bi-chiang was jailed at Hsiaoliochiu (
Even after Chang Bi-chiang's death, the family remained a target of political persecution. Chang Ying-chue's eldest brother, Chang Bi-kun (
NO TRIAL
Chang Ying-chue's father, brother-in-law, cousin and many of her friends were arrested and given varying prison sentences. None of them received a trial, she said.
"As a result of one small case, 11 members of my family were implicated," Chang Ying-chue said. "Three generations of my family have suffered."
Although for many victims of political persecution, the reasons they were targeted remain unclear, many were undoubtedly victimized for exercising freedom of speech.
BETWEEN FRIENDS
Chiu Yi-feng (邱一峰), who is now an adviser to a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator, was one of them.
"Freedom of speech back then was a joke," Chiu, 68, told the Taipei Times.
Chiu's youth was wasted in a prison cell after he went to a movie with a friend and made a remark critical of the regime. His friend was serving in the military at the time.
DEATH PENALTY
The remark translated into a death penalty for Chiu, who was 25 at the time, on charges of treason.
The sentence was commuted and Chiu spend 15 years behind bars while his fiance struggled to acquire work skills to provide for their child.
"Although I agree that persecution in the past can be forgiven, the problem is that those who hurt us have not apologized to us," said Lin Shu-chih (
"I don't know who to forgive," he said. "Even though we are open-minded enough to forgive them, we don't know where they are."
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai