When Japan holds the 59th anniversary commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, members of the February 28 Memorial Foundation will be present to view the proceedings.
"It is an event that brings visitors from all over the world because the nuclear bomb had such a large impact on history," said Lee Wang-tai (
Lee added that this year's February 28 was one of the largest and most moving in recent memory. However, he attributed much of the passionate response to the presidential election.
As the process of judging compensation cases slows to a trickle, the foundation is turning its attention to different modes of commemoration.
A new oral history project begun in late July promises to show a different side of the incident and of local history, Lee said.
"There have been many high-profile histories featuring elites and intellectuals who were February 28 victims," said Lee, "but there has been little work done on more average people who also suffered during that time."
A list of just under 300 interviewees has been selected from compensation cases for the narrative content of their stories. A publication date for the transcripts has yet to be set, but at the current rate of interviewing, the work may take more than a year.
Lee described the process as a race against time, since most victims of the incident are nearing the ends of their lives.
"The value of preserving this record is in documenting the extent of culture clash in all levels of society during that time period," he said, adding that current understanding of post-World War II history does not receive enough attention.
As many documents regarding the February 28 Incident and the ensuing White Terror era have been destroyed, the oral history will be an important documentation, Lee said.
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