President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday apologized for the bad treatment of democracy pioneers by the previous Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime and promised to continue efforts to unveil the truth behind past tragedies.
Ma was addressing the inauguration of a memorial center paying tribute to activist Lei Chen (雷震), who was accused of sedition and sentenced to 10 years in prison for publishing a magazine trumpeting democracy in 1960.
The memorial hall and research center were established to honor him on the 33rd anniversary of his death.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Ma said the establishment of the center at National Chengchi University was of great significance, because the university used to be a school for the KMT.
“[The KMT] owes Lei Chen an apology and as president and KMT chairman, I offer my apology to let people know that the government is willing to face history and correct past mistakes with honesty,” Ma said.
The president stressed the government’s efforts to compensate victims of the 228 Massacre and White Terror era as it uncovers the truth, and promised to carry out measures related to transitional justice.
“The nation paid a price during the 228 Massacre and White Terror era and the protection of human rights will be a major topic for the nation’s future development,” he said.
Lei, a KMT member, had been charged by the KMT authorities with sedition for publishing the opposition Free China (自由中國) magazine and launching the China Democratic Party.
He passed away in 1979 at the age of 81.
In 1998, then-Taipei mayor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) began seeking national compensation for Lei on his behalf and honored him as a pioneer of democracy after the DPP came into office in 2000.
Former premier Yu Shyi-kun and Lei’s daughter, Lei Mei-lin (雷美琳), also attended the ceremony yesterday.
Lei Mei-lin said the family had chosen to forgive the KMT in the name of social harmony.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
RSS