The Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP) will commemorate the 228 Incident on Feb. 28 by staging a silent sit-in, association chairman Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深) said yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference in Taipei, Chen urged all Taiwanese, regardless of their political leaning, to participate in the activity.
“We hope to reveal the historical truth of the massacre that occurred 62 years ago in a peaceful manner,” said Chen, adding that the 228 Incident was a historical tragedy that has affected all of society.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen said that during the “Never Forget the 228 Incident” event at National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall, 1,246 participants would sit on the ground to form the Chinese characters for “never forget 228.”
Chen said the activity would be peaceful, with no speeches or slogans.
“[At the event] we will only play a pre-recorded tape about the events during the 228 massacre,” Chen said.
He said the historical truth of the 228 Incident has been clouded by political conflict between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), adding that politicians from both parties have used the incident for their own purposes.
“The truth has been distorted because both parties have exploited the incident during election campaigns,” Chen said.
Asked if the vast majority of those who hope to uncover the truth of the 228 Incident are DPP supporters, Chen said that the association would reflect on the matter.
“Despite past stereotypes, we welcome with open arms all Taiwanese who wish to participate in this event, because the 228 Incident is a historical tragedy that has shaken the lives of all Taiwanese regardless of their ancestry or political leaning,” Chen said.
The 228 Incident was an anti-government uprising that began on Feb. 28, 1947, sparked on Feb. 27 when six agents of the Monopoly Bureau beat Lin Chiang-mai (林江邁), who was illegally selling cigarettes. One of the bystanders who tried to protest the agents’ actions was shot and killed by an agent, inflaming public anger, with crowds besieging police stations. On Feb. 28, crowds stormed the Monopoly Bureau and ransacked offices, triggering more protests, shootings and crackdowns.
Estimates of the number killed during the incident and the ensuring violent suppression efforts by the KMT administration in March and April 1947 range from 10,000 to 30,000.
Also See: EDITORIAL: A slap in the face of history
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS