Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday defended former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) amid objections to his appearance at an event commemorating the 228 Incident.
The Incident refers to an uprising in 1947 against the then-KMT regime and the resulting crackdown that left thousands dead and led to nearly four decades of martial law.
Ma is scheduled to speak at an event on Sunday at 228 Peace Park (二二八和平公園) organized by the Taipei City Government to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the Incident.
Photo: screen grab from Facebook
The Incident is a “common grief of Taiwanese,” and people should not be excluded from remembrance of the Incident, Chiang wrote on Facebook.
Ma has made efforts to pursue the truth about the Incident, to redress its wrongs, and to compensate and apologize for the Incident since he was elected the mayor of Taipei, Chiang wrote.
In 2005, Ma, in his capacity as KMT chairman, apologized to family members of victims of the Incident on behalf of the KMT, Chiang wrote.
Over the past few days, some people have objected to Ma’s attendance at a memorial event, and accused the former president of failing to express regret and apologize for the Incident, he wrote.
“If even contemporary facts are erased and distorted, how can we truly face history?” he wrote.
The Incident was a traumatic event in the nation’s history and resulted in tragedy for many families, he wrote.
“Therefore, we must all face the past more humbly ... and reject the political abuse of old scars,” he wrote.
“Only this way can we truly learn from history and make the anniversary [of the 228 Incident] the foundation of Taiwan’s social reconciliation,” he wrote.
“The path to truth and reconciliation is still long,” he wrote, adding: “We will continue to work hard.”
Meanwhile, former KMT chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday wrote on Facebook that he and New Taipei City 228 Association director-general Hung Hsien-chao (洪顯詔) visited 99-year-old Tseng Chung-ying (曾仲影), a victim and survivor of the Incident.
“While clarifying the truth, past hatred and antagonism cannot come back,” Chu wrote, calling for peace.
Additional reporting by CNA
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard