In an effort to bring justice to the victims of the White Terror, Vice President Annette Lu (
An exhibition featuring rare documents and photos of the tragic events that took place during the period will be on display starting today at Taipei Railway Station, marking the first time these once-confidential documents have been made available to the public.
"Investigations into these unjust cases are not meant to seek retaliation, but to expose the truth," the vice president said at a press conference yesterday. "It is the hope that, through review of Taiwan's tragic past, one will gain a more objective understanding of history and cherish [the fruits of democracy] we have today."
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
The display, co-sponsored by the Presidential Office's Human Rights Advisory Committee, the National Archives Bureau and the Council of Cultural Affairs, will run for 10 days before traveling to various cities and counties for nationwide tour. At the news conference held yesterday to introduce the exhibition, Lu said the date of the display was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the promulgation of Martial Law on May 19, 1949.
It wasn't until the "519 Green Movement" was initiated by democracy activist Cheng Nan-jung (鄭南榕) on May 19, 1986, that the KMT government under former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) was eventually prompted to lift Martial Law on July 15, 1987, Lu said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration has previously said that the protection of and respect for human rights is a major focus of President Chen Shui-bian's (
On the eve of International Human Rights Day last December, the committee had released a "top ten" list of political injustices during the Martial Law era. At the news conference yesterday, Lu unveiled the names of the perpetrators behind the cases.
The best way to live up to Taiwan's promise is to start by uncovering the truth and bringing justice to the victims and their families, Lu said.
"[On Tuesday] President Chen visited Green Island, during which a concert was performed to commemorate these historical mistakes [in Taiwan's] history," Lu said.
Chen visited the remote outlying island off the coast of Taitung to preside over a ceremony in memory of the 54th anniversary of the arrival of the first batch of prisoners of conscience that were jailed at Green Island Villa, a prison on the island.
"But poetry recitations and music are not enough," Lu said. "The people of Taiwan of this generation ought to have a better understanding of this part of history and keep it in mind to avoid the same mistakes from being repeated again."
During the White Terror, many victims underwent brutal torture, beatings and other violations of their human rights. In many cases the victims were executed on fabricated or groundless charges of espionage or treason without fair trials, or simply vanished after being taken away by government intelligence agents.
According to figures cited by Lu yesterday from an investigation by former DPP legislator and political prisoner Hsieh Tsung-min (
Lu was also a prisoner of conscience during the KMT era.
She was jailed for sedition for her role in the Kaohsiung Incident, which took place on Dec. 10, 1979 when the KMT government imprisoned participants in an anti-government parade organized by Formosa magazine.
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