In an attempt to preserve history and educate the next generation, the Preparatory Office of the National Human Rights Museum has released a series of documentaries that tell the poignant stories of the survivors of the White Terror era.
The seven documentaries are composed of interviews with survivors and their families about their lives before, during and after their imprisonment during the White Terror, a period of suppression of political dissidents in Taiwan that lasted from 1947 until the lifting of martial law in 1987.
The documentaries, each focusing on the story of one survivor, also include images and documents from that period.
Wang Yi-chun (王逸群), director of the office, said the documentaries are aimed at recording the lives and never-yielding spirit of the survivors, and as teaching materials for classrooms.
He added that his office is scheduled to complete another nine documentaries this year.
William Liao, the documentaries’ director, said he has been touched by the strength and perseverance of the survivors, who are in their 80s and 90s.
“Everyone’s story is different,” Liao said. “I hope these stories can be preserved and shown in schools, so that the younger generation can gain a proper understanding of human rights.”
Da Fei, 90, who is featured in one of the documentaries, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of “planning to revolt” after he came to Taiwan from China in 1978.
“I hope the documentary will show people what really happened during the White Terror era,” said Da, who said he passed his time in prison by reading and writing books.
He received redress during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) term and compensation of NT$2.9 million (US$96,000) for the time he spent in prison.
Da, a former secretary of a Republic of China army colonel, served 19 years in prison in China, accused of being a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spy by the Chinese Communist Party, before arriving in Taiwan.
The White Terror refers to the suppression of political dissidents following the 228 Incident, an anti-government uprising in 1947, and the subsequent brutal crackdown by the authoritarian regime of the then-KMT.
During the White Terror, 140,000 to 200,000 people — many of who were from the intellectual and social elite — were imprisoned.
There are no official numbers on how many people were killed during the period, but the Compensation Fund for Unlawful Persecution and Espionage Cases During the Martial Law Period has handled at least 800 cases of executions.
The actual figures are believed to be higher, as many documents are believed to have been lost or destroyed during the 38 years of martial law.
The documentaries, each 48 minutes long, were released on Wednesday last week.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
RSS