The Ministry of Culture said its planned “Taiwanese Trail of Democracy and Human Rights” project would stand witness to the nation’s ongoing implementation of transitional justice and would also provide future generations with lessons from the past.
The project stems from an initiative Minster of Culture Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) proposed in November last year when, as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker, she said she hoped to emulate the Freedom Trail in Boston and link important historical sites on the path along the development of democracy and human rights in Taiwan.
Cheng’s aides said Cheng has always been interested in the preservation of sites that witnessed the development of Taiwan’s democracy and human rights, and “her dreams will guide the ministry’s policies in years to come [now that she is the minister of culture].”
The ministry said that over the past year, National Democracy and Human Rights Museum staff have been conducting on-site inspections of various historical landmarks, as well as researching historical files and housing records to better understand how sites related to the White Terror era are preserved.
The White Terror era refers to a period of repression that began after the 228 Incident in 1947, when an anti-government uprising was violently suppressed by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government, which later declared martial law and initiated purges.
Historians estimate that between 10,000 and 30,000 people were killed during the crackdown.
Ministry officials said the museum is also looking into the geographical location and the history of these sites, as well as asking political victims or local elders the stories of the time. The museum has completed research and investigation for 45 locations.
Twenty-three of the 45 locations were in Taipei, ministry officials said, adding that the ministry would arrange the locations into categories, such as judgment area, transition, serving of sentence, execution squares, sites of historical events, and memorial sites.
Some of the buildings in the areas no longer exist — such as the Dongbenyuan Temple, which was used to interrogate and torture political prisoners, or the Martial Law Detention Center on Qingdao E Road — either due to deterioration or urban renewal projects, the ministry said.
Excluding sites related to the White Terror era that have already been designated as heritage sites or cultural assets, the ministry said it would help local governments register other White Terror-era related areas as cultural assets, such as Taipei’s Huashan Terminal that served as a transport point for political prisoners.
The Liuzhangli Public Cemetery, known as a burial site for many political victims in the White Terror era, last month was designated by the Taipei City Government as a cultural asset, ministry officials said, adding that it is “an important step in preserving historical sites in relation to the fight for human rights.”
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
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
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
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