The human rights exhibit at National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall concluded on Monday, but the 228 Incident Memorial Foundation said it would not remove the metal scaffolding that surrounds a large bronze statue of the dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
The oversized canvas decorated with a wild lily - a symbol of Taiwan's student movement - and pictures depicting life during the Martial Law era will also remain at the hall, the foundation said.
Foundation member Lin Chen-feng (林辰鋒) said the organization was negotiating with the Ministry of Education on how best to transform the hall into a venue for artistic appreciation without diminishing its ability to educate visitors about the Taiwan's democratization.
PHOTO: CNA
The ministry said it would approve the foundation's plans provided they did not require additional funding.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴), the surviving grandson of Chiang Kai-shek, visited the hall yesterday morning after learning that the foundation had removed the kites surrounding his grandfather's statue.
He expressed disappointment at the foundation's decision not to remove the other decorations it had placed in the hall.
"I regret the foundation's insistence on retaining the items surrounding the statue," Chiang said when approached for comment. "It is very inappropriate."
The hall, formerly known as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, is a source of contention between the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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