A number of academics yesterday rebutted recent comments by former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村), who questioned the number of people killed in the 228 Incident in 1947 tragedy.
In a forum hosted by the Taiwan Association of University Professors, association president Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) said Hau’s suggestion that only about 500 people were killed was not based on historical facts.
The historian was referring to an op-ed piece published in the Chinese-language United Daily News on Tuesday in which Hau challenged the content of a history textbook which stated that more than 10,000 people were killed during the 228 Incident and said that in his view, about 500 people were killed during the crackdown.
The 228 Incident refers to the crackdown launched by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime against civilian demonstrations in 1947, following an incident in Taipei on Feb. 27 of that year.
That tragic event also marked the beginning of the White Terror era that saw thousands of locals arrested, imprisoned and executed.
Although President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on Friday that “the focus is not on the number of the people that were killed ... The government mishandled the incident and of course it is responsible for the consequences,” Chang said that according to US cables leaked by WikiLeaks, Ma told US officials that he believed about 900 people were killed in the 228 Incident.
“Ma and his government only offer apologies once a year when it is time to hold the 228 Incident memorial ceremony, but his apologies are superficial,” Chang said.
Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深), an associate researcher at the Institute of Modern History at Academia Sinica, said the number of people who died during the 228 Incident could not be precisely calculated, but could be estimated on the basis of historical research. Most historical records showed more than 10,000 were killed in the massacre, with some academics claiming about 18,000 victims, Chen said.
“Hau thinks the 228 Incident is trivial and should not be -highlighted because he sees Taiwan as a part of China, and in Chinese modern history, a civil war or riot can easily claim the lives of 100,000 or 300,000 people, so [in comparison he views] the deaths of 10,000 victims as trivial,” Chang said.
“Denying the number who died comes from a fear to honestly examine history,” said Lee Hsiao-feng (李筱峰), a professor at the Graduate Institute of Taiwanese Culture at National Taipei University of Education.
Additional reporting by CNA
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS