President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) decision to name an auditorium after former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) glorifies a “secret police czar” and the “White Terror hangman,” survivors of the White Terror era said.
Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) on Tuesday last week said in a news release that because Chiang attached great importance throughout his life to the cultivation of young people and served as director of the China Youth Anti-Communist National Salvation Corps for about 21 years, the office is to name an auditorium in the Presidential Office Building after him tomorrow, Youth Day.
Taiwan Association for the Care of the Victims of Political Persecution During the Martial Law Period secretary-general Tsai Kuan-yu (蔡寬裕) said that since Chen’s announcement, he has received calls from many White Terror survivors expressing displeasure over the naming of the auditorium, adding that a protest against the decision is being organized.
Tsai said that during the White Terror era, Chiang was head of the political warfare department at the Ministry of National Defense, which implicated him as the “secret police czar” and “overseer of the White Terror period.”
Chiang was the “White Terror hangman,” because numerous archived case files of White Terror victims contained Chiang’s written orders for their execution over fabricated charges and Chiang’s trusted lieutenants occupied leadership positions within security apparatuses throughout the White Terror era, former political prisoner Kao Chin-lang (高金郎) said.
“Victims of political repression feel great resentment toward the Presidential Office’s naming of the Ching-kuo Hall and consider commemoration of Chiang an anti-democratic statement. Chiang should not be commemorated and Ma should not try to establish a cult of personality,” Kao added.
Tsai said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government has since its retreat from China in 1949 executed political purges in Taiwan to consolidate its grasp on power, and Chiang exerted de facto control over the military and civilian intelligence agencies.
“Chiang played the role of the hidden overseer of White Terror political purges, which included giving orders to target specific individuals for arrest,” Tsai said.
During the 2014 Taipei mayoral election, People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) opposed then-KMT mayoral candidate Sean Lien’s (連勝文) proposal to rename City Hall Road as Ching-kuo Road on the grounds that Chiang was opposed to naming roads after himself or building monuments when he was alive, Tsai added.
“As victims of political repression, we emphatically reject Ma’s attempt to establish a cult of personality,” Tsai said.
VOTERS’ CHOICE: The DPP’s Chen and independent candidate Huang conceded defeat before 7:20pm, with Chiang pledging to remain humble and do his best Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday won the Taipei mayoral election, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate defeating the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) pick, former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), and former Taipei deputy mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊), an independent. After polling stations closed at 4pm, the Taipei Election Commission issued a preliminary estimate that voter turnout in the city was about 64 percent, slightly lower than in 2018. Chiang, 43, is to be the youngest Taipei mayor ever, with the KMT regaining the capital after eight years. Chen had an exceptionally high national approval rating when he was head
FAMILY BACKGROUND: Chiang was effective in running a cautious campaign to avoid making mistakes, waiting for other candidates to slip up, an analyst said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei Mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) stood out among his rivals due to his energy, his die-hard supporters and his relative openness to discuss issues such as same-sex marriage, a political analyst said yesterday. Chiang’s campaign was also aided by his family’s background in politics, which helped him garner greater support in Taipei where there is a large KMT base, said the analyst, who chose to remain anonymous. “Chiang is also not a typical KMT member when it comes to certain issues, such as gay marriage, and his more open stance widened his support base — particularly among young
First-time politician Mai Yamada’s (山田摩衣) Japanese name has attracted attention in Chinese-language media after her win in the New Taipei City Council election on Saturday. Born to a Taiwanese mother and Japanese father, the 32-year-old Taiwanese-Japanese stood out after becoming one of nine elected city councilors in Banciao District (板橋) in the nation’s local government elections on Saturday. Although she has a Japanese name, she grew up and was educated in Taiwan, Yamada said, adding that “Taiwan is my home.” Before running for local government, Yamada, who speaks fluent Japanese and English, was Legislative Speaker You Si-kun’s (游錫堃) secretary. She has been involved in
Mask easing: Teachers are allowed to take their masks off while lecturing indoors, but students should keep theirs on, as COVID-19 measures ease this week The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday released new on-campus COVID-19 prevention guidelines, stating that masks can be taken off while exercising, singing, dancing, performing, taking photographs, dining, drinking, video and voice recording, hosting events, presenting speeches and lecturing outdoors. Large outdoor events organized by schools should comply with the mask regulations issued by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), it added. The new guidelines came into effect yesterday, and people in Taiwan are no longer required to wear masks outdoors for the first time since May 19 last year. The CECC announced the easing of the mask mandate on Monday, adding that it
RSS