The Libratory, an independent vintage bookstore near Taipei’s National Taiwan Normal University, yesterday launched a small exhibition of historical materials concerning the 228 Massacre and the White Terror era, provided by researchers, in defiance of the recent warrantless search by the military police of a civilian’s residence for such material.
The exhibition is titled Researchers are so frightened that they have rushed to clear their storage of 228 and White Terror-related books and documents. The organizers said they are not only criticizing the military police, but also those who have praised an antique collector and dealer surnamed Hu (胡) — who says he has a collection of more than 1,000 White Terror-era documents — as a protector of historical documents.
They are also taking aim at those who say that Democratic Progressive Party politician and TV show host Peng Wen-cheng (彭文正) — or other politicians — can be trusted with the documents.
Photo: Hu Shun-hsiang, Taipei Times
The bookstore invited several academics to the launch of the exhibition yesterday to share their views on the preservation of Taiwan’s political documents.
Former 228 Memorial Museum director Iap Phok-bun (葉博文) said many people called the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime a “settler regime,” but he thought a more accurate description based on its deeds would be “wanted-criminal regime.”
“When wanted criminals are on the lam and randomly go into your house, they tie you up and threaten you; inside, they fear defectors and outside, they face arrest,” Iap said, explaining why the KMT had feared the unsealing of the documents.
The other two young academics invited to the event addressed widespread misgivings among Internet users about the government’s trustworthiness to handle the documents and criticized the praise lavished on Hu.
Hu has become a much-sought-after guest on various political TV shows. His appearances on TV culminated on Thursday night when he handed over a cardboard box of documents to Peng and several other Democratic Progressive Party politicians for them to temporarily look after, as Hu claimed he could not sleep under the stress of possessing them.
The handover received the acclaim of many viewers who said that the government cannot be trusted with the files, but it has also raised the hackles of many White Terror era researchers who accused Hu of self-promotion and called for professional conservation of the documents.
Taiwan Association for Truth and Reconciliation former executive secretary Yeh Hung-ling (葉虹靈) called on those who now have the documents to immediately donate them to the National Archives Administration.
“Don’t turn this farce into a tragedy,” she said. “Three unprofessional people perusing the documents might result in them being damaged. Handling historical documents requires professional skills.”
Of Internet users’ concerns the files might be “deliberately destroyed” by the current administration, Yeh said that would be “almost, or I should say absolutely, impossible.”
She railed against Hu and political commentators for fanning conspiracy theories and discrediting academics working on the issue.
White Terror researcher Lin Yi-hsuan (林邑軒) said the public has so far been unfamiliar with the historical materials and now is a good time for them to be brought to light.
“Let the collection of documents be institutionalized,” he said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS