The government is continuing its transitional justice efforts and plans to enhance human rights protection in industrial supply chains, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at a Human Rights Day ceremony yesterday.
In a speech at the National Human Rights Museum in Taipei, Tsai said that the government would continue to integrate and supervise its departments in pursuing transitional justice.
The Transitional Justice Commission was dissolved after it submitted its concluding report in May and accomplished its mission, she said, adding that the Cabinet held its first regular meeting for the promotion of transitional justice in September.
Photo: CNA
The government is planning to set up a reinstatement foundation, which would be responsible for returning property confiscated during the White Terror era and compensating victims targeted by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, she said.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare would continue to provide services such as trauma therapy to the victims and their families, she said.
The Ministry of Education has drafted guidelines for transitional justice education, and along with the Ministry of Justice, it would promote human rights values in schools, allowing the concepts of transitional justice to take root among younger generations and in social educational institutes, to help Taiwanese learn from the past and avoid the mistakes of the White Terror era, she said.
As Taiwan plays a key role in the global trade, the government would continue efforts to protect human rights in industrial supply chains, Tsai said.
National Human Rights Commission Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊) is leading a delegation to France, where she signed a quadrilateral agreement with Paris, Tsai said.
Under the agreement, France is to select human rights experts to be stationed at the commission and assist it in implementing key tasks, such as gender equality and reinforcing democracy, she said.
At the ceremony, Tsai recognized Chang Chang-mei (張常美), a 91-year-old political victim who had been sentenced to 12 years for joining a “seditious” organization during the White Terror era.
The president thanked Chang for sharing her story.
“The democracy and freedom we have today is because past generations sacrificed their lives and freedom to push Taiwan’s democratization process forward,” Tsai said.
“Through continuous efforts to unearth the truth, we are constantly reminded to bravely face our history,” she said.
“The wounds and injustice from the past will not heal on their own over time,” Tsai said. “We pursue transitional justice because we believe that by remembering history and reflecting on it, it can help us avoid mistakes and bring about social solidarity, strengthen democracy and allow Taiwan to continue improving.”
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS