It is important to preserve the history of Taiwan’s democratization and memories of the 1979 Formosa Incident, Academia Sinica research fellow Wu Nai-teh (吳乃德) said yesterday.
Wu made the remarks in Taipei at the launch of his latest book, titled Taiwan’s Finest Hour, 1977-1987 (臺灣最好的時刻, 1977-1987).
“The Formosa Incident took place during a time of severe oppression, with people under constant surveillance,” he said, referring to the White Terror era under the then-Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) military dictatorship.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The Incident, also known as the Kaohsiung Incident, refers to a crackdown by the then-KMT regime on a rally organized by Formosa Magazine and opposition politicians on Dec. 10, 1979, to mark Human Rights Day.
“Yet it was also the time when Taiwanese were most courageous, most selfless and most unified in their struggle for freedom,” he said.
The book’s title also refers to a speech then-British prime minister Winston Churchill made in June 1940 during World War II.
The Formosa Incident and democracy events from 1977 to 1987 have ramifications to this day, as modern Taiwanese enjoy a free and democratic society, direct elections and protection of human rights, he said.
Also at the book launch were Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), who was arrested and tried in military court following the Incident; Chen Chung-hsin (陳忠信), former editor-in-chief of Formosa Magazine; and Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良), the magazine’s publisher.
Wu said he wrote the book as if it were stories for his son, and that he gathered information by interviewing principal figures and searching for government files.
It is important to record the accounts of those who faced trial and to document the Formosa Incident for young Taiwanese, he said.
“People born after 1980 had no real experience of the dark days of the Martial Law era, the KMT’s one-party dictatorship and pervasive state surveillance,” Wu said. “This book tells what happened. It describes the military trials and other key events in Taiwan’s democratization.”
“If Taiwan’s democracy is put at risk, it is up to young people to have the will and courage to stand up and safeguard our freedom and democracy,” he said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it