The Ministry of Education and intelligence agencies were behind Huang Erh-hsuan’s (黃爾璇) firing from Soochow University in 1983, the Executive Yuan’s Transitional Justice Commission has said, deeming the incident a case of political persecution.
Huang was an associate professor of political science at the university. He was also a founding member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and served as a Presidential Office adviser. He passed away on Feb. 9.
The commission on March 13 launched an investigation into Huang’s firing.
Photo: Screen grab from the Internet
It contacted Huang’s daughter to obtain his notes, diaries, manuscripts and articles to gain a better understanding of the social atmosphere at the time of his firing, the commission said, adding that it interviewed Huang’s former colleagues, friends and relatives to ascertain if there is any information that needs to made public.
In light of the Huang family’s long-standing belief that his sacking was caused by political interference, the commission said it also combed through political archives looking for evidence of Huang being monitored by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime.
A direct link has been established between Huang’s firing and interference by the KMT and intelligence agencies, which had determined that Huang’s “inciting remarks and actions had incited students,” the commission’s preliminary findings showed.
The commission found that then-university president Duan Mu-kai (端木愷) had written a letter to Huang in June 1983, saying that the school was planning to reduce the number of classes and faculty at its Department of Political Science, citing graduates’ difficulty in finding jobs and low enrollment rates.
Huang was subsequently fired from the university.
Colleges and universities at the time were mostly infiltrated by investigation bureau agents, military education officers, and KMT and China Youth Corps members, the commission said, citing the interviewees.
The university reduced the number of classes at the department from two to one following Huang’s firing, but raised it back to two soon afterward, which aroused suspicion, the commission said.
The incident implicates the ministry, as universities need its permission to change the number of classes, it added.
Evidence points at the ministry and intelligence agencies as the masterminds behind Huang’s sacking, but the decision was carried out by the university, the commission said, adding that its conclusion is backed by political archives.
The commission said the then-KMT regime stepped up its monitoring of public and private colleges, and integrated its political, party and military systems on campuses after a student movement was galvanized by the 1971-1972 Baodiao movement to defend the nation’s sovereignty claim over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台).
In 1971, the then-KMT regime established a mechanism called the “Chun Feng Briefing” (春風會報), which was tasked with decisionmaking, collecting intelligence on “campus security,” and overseeing the so-called campus stability groups formed by faculty and investigation bureau agents to eliminate “threats” on campus, the commission said.
It said its investigation has found that Huang’s firing was favored by the Chun Feng Briefing, citing records of meetings from the first half of 1983, when Huang was reported by “whistle-blowers” as having made improper comments and was branded an “extremist” for allegedly trying to incite students and participating in “inappropriate activities.”
Records show that the authorities were worried that the university’s development might be hindered if Huang ran for department head and endorsed candidates vying for the leadership of students’ associations, the commission said.
The then-KMT regime’s crackdown on Huang did not cease after his firing, the commission said, adding that the party contacted other schools to prevent Huang from taking up teaching positions at them.
There might be other victims of political interference by the Chun Feng Briefing and campus stability groups, the commission said, adding that it would investigate the matter further to reveal the truth behind on-campus monitoring activities and discover any human rights violations.
The commission called on the KMT to confront its past human rights violations and infringements of constitutional democracy, and refrain from impeding society’s effort to seek reconciliation.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust