Contention for the 228 Memorial Foundation chairmanship has devolved into a dispute between academics and relatives of people who were killed in the 228 Massacre, sources from the foundation said, adding that if the chairmanship is put to a vote, it might have lasting effects on the foundation’s daily operations.
The foundation has been without a chairman since former chairman Chen Shih-kuei (陳世魁) stepped down after the inauguration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on May 20.
The Democratic Progressive Party over the past month appointed National Chengchi University professor Hsueh Hua-yuan (薛化元); Academia Historica president Wu Mi-cha (吳密察); Academia Sinica associate research fellow Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深); Lin Li Tsai (林黎彩), who is a relative of a victim; and Na Su-phoh (藍士博), who started the annual Gongsheng Music Festival, as foundation board members.
According to sources, the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of the Interior are supporting Hsueh’s bid as chairman, while another faction, mainly comprised of the relatives of 228 Massacre victims, support acting chairman Hsu Kuang (徐光), who is also a relative of a victim.
The 228 Massacre refers to an uprising that began on Feb. 27, 1947, against the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government and the resulting brutal crackdown that left tens of thousands of people dead and led to the beginning of the White Terror era.
While Hsueh has a better chance of winning the chairmanship due to government backing, sources said that the inter-faction struggle might see the decision put to the vote on Friday next week.
Hsueh said he has been asked if he wanted the position, adding that the position should be in line with the foundation’s regulations and that he would respect the opinions of the board.
Meanwhile, Chang Chiu-wu (張秋梧), a victim’s relative, said that he “has no confidence in an academic becoming the chairman of the 228 Memorial Foundation,” referring to the long-delayed book The Compilation of Historical Data from the Secrecy Bureau on the 228 Incident (保密局台灣站二二八史料彙編) that is being compiled by Academia Sinica research fellow Hsu Hsueh-chi (許雪姬), who promised to unveil the truth behind the massacre.
Chang said he is skeptical of Hsu’s claims that the delay was caused by the workload brought by interpreting the raw data, as the direct publication of the information would create a social rift over the incident, adding that Hsu has been delaying its publication on purpose.
Academics do not pay respect to the opinions of the victims’ relatives and it is best that a relative become the foundation’s chairman, he added.
Hsueh denied Chang’s claims, saying that he is a long-time supporter of making historical files transparent and had launched petitions in an attempt to bring about transparency.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS