The Leofoo Village Theme Park (六福村主題遊樂園) in Hsinchu County yesterday apologized for any misunderstanding caused by its discount policy for the 228 Memorial Day weekend, following criticism that its commercialization of the event was disrespectful to victims of the tragedy.
The 228 Incident refers to an uprising that began on Feb. 27, 1947, against the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) authoritarian regime and the resulting brutal crackdown that left tens of thousands dead and led to nearly four decades of martial law.
In 1997, Feb. 28 was designated a national holiday.
SCreen grab by Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
To mark the holiday this year, the theme park announced that it was offering a discount from today to Monday: People with two 2’s and one 8 in their national identification number, or whose Chinese zodiac sign is the Monkey, would be able to buy tickets for the price of NT$228.
The discount is to apply for the duration of the long weekend, the park said.
The Soochow University student association yesterday criticized the policy and said the theme park should not seek to make gains at the expense of the victims, adding that the theme park should issue a public apology.
The association said it was canceling all previously agreed public-relations activities with the park.
Saying the public had misunderstood its policy, park officials said Leofoo Village had no intention of “celebrating” the event, but that it respected the student association’s opinions on the matter.
They said that while the park held some events with several departments at the university last year, there are no planned events this year.
The theme park also adjusted its discount policy to include people who has the numbers 227, 228, and 229 in their national identification numbers. The discount for people whose zodiac sign is the Monkey remains unchanged, it said.
“Our marketing division will take this incident as a lesson and will be more careful in the future,” the park said.
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