President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she would push to make April 7 national “freedom of expression day” to remember the death of democracy activist Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕) 27 years ago.
“I remember that I made the promise right here last year that I would make April 7 ‘freedom of expression day’ when I am elected president,” Tsai said in a speech at a ceremony to commemorate the 27th anniversary of Deng’s death at his burial site in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District (金山). “I would like to reiterate my promise that, after I take office, I will ask government agencies to work on setting up a freedom of expression day.”
“I hope that when I stand here again on April 7 next year, all Taiwanese would remember the day not only as the day of Deng’s sacrifice, but also as Taiwan’s ‘freedom of expression day,’” Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said that she will be inaugurated as president in little over a month, adding that she knows that she would not have had such an opportunity without the efforts made by democracy activists like Deng.
Born in 1947, Deng was a dissident against the then-Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) authoritarian regime and was involved in various campaigns, including those calling for Taiwanese independence, for the recognition of the 228 Incident, and for freedoms and human rights.
Deng founded Freedom Era Weekly in 1984 to fight for “100 percent freedom of speech.” He was charged with sedition on Jan. 21, 1989, for having printed a draft “Republic of Taiwan Constitution” in 1988 written by then-World United Formosans for Independence chairman Koh Se-kai (許世楷). Deng refused to appear in court and barricaded himself in the magazine’s headquarters. On the 71st day of his self-imprisonment, police broke down the door and entered the magazine’s offices. Deng locked himself in the editor-in-chief’s office and set himself and the office on fire, dying in the blaze.
Accompanied by Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and Deng’s widow, Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), who was a former presidential office secretary-general, Tsai paid her respects to Deng.
Kaohsiung, Tainan and the counties of Yunlin, Yilan and Chiayi were the first local governments to name April 7 as “freedom of speech day” in 2013.
Taichung and Pingtung followed suit last year, while Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) announced in December last year that the capital city would follow suit this year.
The street on which the magazine’s office was located was named “Freedom Lane” in August 2012 by former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), in memory of Deng.
Additional Reporting by CNA
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