The funeral for 228 Massacre survivor Chen Shui-lien (陳水蓮) was held on Monday in Chiayi.
Chiang Jung-sen (江榮森) of the Chiayi 228 Memorial Foundation said Chen, who died on Oct. 16, had been “an important witness to the massacre of civilians at Chiayi’s Lioucuo neighborhood (劉厝) at the hands of Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] troops from China. What he saw and experienced in 1947 was very crucial to historians and researchers.”
“During his lifetime, Chen’s heart was always troubled by the fact that the murderers were never identified, and that justice was not served for the victims and their families. He regretted this fact right up to his death,” Chiang said.
Photo courtesy of the Chiayi City 228 Memorial Cultural Foundation
A protest by Taiwanese against the KMT administration and troops that began in Taipei on Feb. 27, 1947, was violently suppressed by the government, but eventually led to four decades of martial law rule in Taiwan. Estimates of the number killed range from 10,000 to 30,000 or more.
According to eyewitness accounts and documented reports by Chen and other survivors, KMT troops marched into Chiayi in early March, triggering a fierce battle at Chiayi Shuishang Airport against locals who tried to defend their city. The troops headed for Lioucuo to loot houses on March 9.
Chen, then 27, hid inside a granary barn while the soldiers were looting. A soldier spotted him and fired three shots. Chen was hit by one bullet, which passed through his arm. He was then locked up with more than 20 other civilians in a house, guarded by two KMT soldiers. However, the guard abandoned the house to join the looting spree, which is why Chen and the others survived.
Twelve Lioucuo residents locked up in a nearby house were not so lucky and were executed by KMT soldiers the next day, along with another individual in an event that became known as the “Lioucou Neighborhood Massacre.”
Chen was a special guest to the opening of the Chiayi City 228 Memorial Park in Lioucou on Dec. 19, 2011, along with then-vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長).
Chen told Siew and other attendees that his most important wish was for the government to provide answers about the massacres and identify those who were responsible for perpetrating it. His wish was never fulfilled.
“Chen was among the last survivors of the 228 Massacre victims in the Chiayi area. At 93, he was the oldest of the survivors. Now he is gone, but the truth of what happened during the 228 Massacre has never been revealed,” Chiang said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS