The National Security Bureau’s (NSB) refusal to declassify documents from seven Martial Law era cases is an attempt to keep the truth from the people and merits a clear response from the president, New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said on Tuesday.
The Presidential Office holds great sway over the bureau, which cannot use excuses to deter efforts to declassify materials, even if such materials have been marked “permanently classified,” Hsu said.
The Transitional Justice Commission has asked the bureau to review seven files to determine if they should remain classified, and if not, how long it would take to declassify them.
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On Tuesday, the commission said that the NSB files were crucial in shining a light on past events, as it was a core governmental agency and the direct superior of the Ministry of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation.
The NSB had earlier told the commission that all seven would retain their level of security clearance, ranging from national secret to average classified.
One of the files, titled “Persuading the Learned and the Cultured,” is believed to be related to individuals in the arts and humanities.
Lo Cheng-chung (羅承宗), dean of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s Graduate Institute of Financial and Economic Law, said the use of the word “persuading” during the Martial Law era carried a connotation of veiled threats.
“Anyone would be scared if they saw bureau [NSB] officials come to try and talk you out of something,” Lo said.
The Bureau of Investigation previously extended the time frame for the classification of more than 1,000 files by 30 years, which was a warning sign, Hsu said.
“We do not need a transition of political power if the truth still cannot be made known,” Hsu added.
The Legislative Yuan should review a draft political files act, which would allow the government to review files otherwise deemed “permanently” classified,” NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) said.
Meanwhile, the commission said it has already obtained a portion of the files regarding the Chen Wen-chen (陳文成) incident and would draw up a timetable for the Carnegie Mellon University assistant professor of mathematics’ travels from the time he left to study in the US until the moment of his death while on a visit back to Taiwan to see family.
Chen’s body was found next to the National Taiwan University library on the morning of July 3, 1981, after he had been taken in for more questioning by three Taiwan Garrison Command plainclothes agents the day before.
He had already been questioned at the Garrison Command’s offices for several hours on June 30 about his activities in the US.
He had arriving in Taiwan with his wife and baby son on May 20 for his first visit home in years.
The commission said the NSB is still holding another portion of the files that were marked “permanently classified,” which could affect the accuracy and completeness of the timeline it is constructing and prevent it from accurately reflecting the facts of the incident.
The Chen case should be above partisan politics, Hsu said, hinting that the NSB’s handling of the issue was aimed at protecting certain figures.
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