The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation yesterday marked Human Rights Day by donating the original reels for the documentary A Secret Buried for 50 Years (阿媽的秘密) to the Taiwan Film Institute.
Directed by Yang Chia-yun (楊家雲), the 1998 film tells the stories of 13 “comfort women” in Taiwan, the foundation said.
It was the first time that Taiwan’s comfort women spoke about their experiences in front of a camera, it said.
Photo: CNA
Funded by the foundation, the film won best documentary at the 35th Golden Horse Awards.
The foundation decided to donate the original reels to the institute to ensure they are preserved more professionally, it said.
At a ceremony held at the Ama Museum in Taipei’s Datong District (大同), foundation president Theresa Yeh (葉德蘭) said she hopes the donation will allow more people to see the pain brought by war.
The institute is “honored” to accept the donation, institute director Wang Chun-Chi (王君琦) said, adding that one of the institute’s important missions is to ensure that history is not forgotten.
Yang said 14 women had originally agreed to appear in the documentary, but one of them changed her mind after filming was completed, because she felt she would not be able to face her friends and family after the film was released.
For the other women, the filming process provided a form of release, she said, adding that they felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from their hearts.
More than 20 years have passed since the film was released, but the women have yet to receive the justice they deserve, Yang said.
“We can forgive ... but we cannot forget what happened,” she said.
“We must continue to fight for the justice [the comfort women] deserve,” she said. “We must continue to protest with the Japanese government ... for them to apologize.”
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS