The concerted effort of those who went through political persecution kept the flame of Taiwan’s democracy alive, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) said yesterday ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident.
The oppression, authoritarian rule and Martial Law period in Taiwan gave the people a cause, Chen said at a seminar organized by the National Human Rights Museum in Taipei, which is hosting an international conference titled “Comparative Studies of Democratization in East Asia” ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Kaohsiung Incident on Tuesday next week.
“We suffered much, but we never gave up our hopes or our ideals,” said Chen, who was arrested over the incident and jailed for six years during the White Terror era. “If one can dedicate their life toward realizing an ideal, it would be truly romantic.”
Photo: CNA
The Kaohsiung Incident was a pro-democracy demonstration organized by Formosa Magazine employees on Dec. 10, 1979.
Society changed visibly after the incident, Chen said.
Chen thanked the people of that era for willingly and bravely standing up for protesters, especially for political activist Shih Ming-te (施明德) while he was a fugitive.
She also honored the late Reverend Kao Chun-ming (高俊明) for “being willing to protect people and treat them with decency in those times.”
“The people of the Formosa Incident era will inevitably grow old and pass away, but the new generation, with their ideals for how Taiwan should be and their search for democracy and freedom, that has not and will not change,” Chen said.
This is the spirit that the younger generation must embrace, she said.
Deputy Minister of Culture Kevin Peng (彭俊亨) said that the Kaohsiung Incident was a crucial point in the development of Taiwan’s democracy.
Many young winners of the Ministry of Culture’s awards say they cherish the “free and liberal creative environment” that allows them to create works that have uniquely Taiwanese features, Peng said.
Thanks go to those who helped bring about this freedom, he said.
While Taiwan differs greatly compared with four decades ago, “threats and oppression still exist,” Peng said, calling on the people to uphold and maintain the nation’s democracy.
National Museum of Korean Contemporary History director Chu Chin-oh and Sungkonghoe University professor Kim Dong-choon shared perspectives of history and political sociology from democratization in South Korea.
Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor deputy chair Chong Yiu-kwong (莊耀洸) and Initium Media editor-in-chief Lee Chih-te (李志德) analyzed current events in Hong Kong.
An exhibition on the Kaohsiung Incident is to open tomorrow at the White Terror Memorial Park in Sindian’s Jingmei (景美) area. It runs through Sept. 30.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS