Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) yesterday urged National Taiwan University to hand over historical files associated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to the Transitional Justice Commission so that they could be made public.
A request by the commission to the university for the files is part of efforts to “restore historical truths,” Lai said, adding that the university should comply with such requests instead of refusing them and working with the KMT.
The KMT remains in possession of many party and government files, he said, calling on the party to make such documents available to the public.
The commission has said that 4,286 documents signed by Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) in the hands of the KMT are considered political files and must be turned over to the National Archives Administration by the end of the month.
Citing the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), the commission said that it is duty-bound to make available political files, and help the public gain an understanding of the decisions and leadership of the KMT during the Martial Law era.
All KMT files kept at the school that bear Chiang’s signature must be turned over to the state to “facilitate the restoration of historical truths,” it said.
In 2005, the university’s library entered into an agreement with the KMT’s party history museum to help digitize documents and establish a “party history archive” next month, the commission said.
Sources have said that the archive would have “special files” classified during the Second Sino-Japanese War, including party operative files and details of their missions in the central government, provinces and overseas, as well as files dedicated to Taiwan, renowned KMT personnel and those bearing Chiang’s signature.
It is not common knowledge that the university has many KMT files, as they are not listed on the university library’s online database, the commission said.
The files are only accessible on official computers at the university library’s archives and can only be view for one hour, it said, adding that they cannot be photocopied, photographed, recorded, printed or e-mailed.
Sources said that the university cited needing the KMT’s approval when declining the commission’s request.
However, such a restriction is not stipulated in the agreement with the party, they said.
The commission has criticized the university’s restricted access to files that would benefit historical research, despite using Ministry of Education funds to establish and run its library and archives, they added.
The commission said that it is authorized by law to investigate files and institutions, adding that organizations being probed should not refuse its requests without just cause.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS