There are still more than 4,000 cases related to the 228 Incident in 1947 in which compensation claims have not been filed by families, the 228 Incident Memorial Foundation said yesterday.
Foundation chairman Tsay Ching-yen (蔡清彥) said families should apply soon because the application period expires at the end of next year and the foundation will be dissolved by March 2012.
Tsay made the call at a hearing at the legislature, during which Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liu Sheng-liang (劉盛良) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) urged the foundation to step up efforts to contact families of 228 Incident victims.
The 228 Incident encompasses a series of events in 1947 that led to a brutal crackdown by the KMT government against the local population, particularly the elite.
The Executive Yuan set up a task force to study the incident in 1990. The Report of the 228 Incident was published in 1992, and a memorial was set up in 1995 in the 228 Peace Park in Taipei.
In October 1995, the non-profit 228 Incident Memorial Foundation was established to deal with compensation and rehabilitation of 228 Incident victims.
The foundation has processed 7,067 compensation cases involving deaths, missing people, incarceration and defamation so far, Tsay said. More than NT$18.7 billion (US$577 million) has been paid in compensation in more than 3,000 cases, he said.
Tsay said some families may not have filed claims because notices were sent to the wrong address or the victims and their families could not be located.
KMT Legislator Chiang Yi-hsiung (江義雄) said that some victims were indicted on charges of rebellion, but were convicted of engaging in illegal arms deals, which would disqualify them from applying for compensation.
“I will propose an amendment to expand the compensation criteria so more victims can receive compensation,” Chiang said.
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