Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) made contributions to Taiwan’s democracy and because the nation is a diverse society, people’s contributions and demerits can be discussed together.
Ko on Friday — the eve of the 30th anniversary of Chiang’s death — attended the book launch of a former government insider’s story on Chiang’s strategic changes in his late years.
“Some people praise him for being the helmsman of Taiwan’s democratic reform, but others criticize him as a dictator who purged his political opponents and seriously violated human rights,” Ko said. “The political reforms introduced during his later years came under the pressure of democracy drives, both domestically and internationally.”
It is worth pondering why a dictator is still remembered and cherished by many people decades after his death, Ko added.
Ko said as a former surgeon who values practical decisions based on a rational mindset, he feels that people should speak honestly if they want to understand each other and bring about change.
If more information is made public, allowing for more rational discussions and reflections on historical truth, people can avoid making the same mistakes in the future, Ko said, adding that the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例) could be an opportunity for Taiwan to review its history.
The road to democracy and freedom in Taiwan has been unstable, but “president Chiang’s efforts in following the trend of the time were contributive,” he said.
Ko’s speech raised suspicion among some that he was trying to win support from members of the pan-blue camp.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) criticized Ko for praising Chiang, saying it was “loathsome” if he made the speech to gain support in this year’s mayoral election.
The Act on Promoting Transitional Justice should help solve the nation’s current problems, prevent the same mistakes from being made again and hopefully create more room for cooperation, Ko said.
It should not be used to worsen the situation or create more hate among the public, he said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS