President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday laid out goals for the Transitional Justice Commission during a ceremony in Taipei for 100 victims of political persecution who have received pardons.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tsai said she hoped the commission could speed up investigations into political persecutions, uncover facts surrounding the events of the White Terror era, compensate victims or their families, eliminate symbols of authoritarianism and care for surviving victims.
Transitional justice has been crucial to strengthening Taiwan’s democracy, she said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“This is our mission, and we must accomplish it together,” she said.
Tsai apologized to the victims for their long wait for justice.
The ceremony commemorated the repeal of 105 charges against 100 people, 26 of whom have not yet received compensation.
The commission’s efforts over the past three years — during which it has been collecting evidence on cases compiled into a database — was a “race against time,” Tsai said.
The commission has removed or relocated more than 400 symbols of authoritarianism, and is establishing a legal framework for the conservation of historic relics deemed symbols of injustice, she said.
Helping to rebuild trust among older Taiwanese was important to the commission’s efforts, she said, adding that the commission was reaching out to them through social activities and online programs.
The commission was also working with long-term care providers to help people who lived through the era to recognize the signs of trauma from political violence, she said.
Although cases were being reopened, uncovering accurate facts was a great challenge, given the passage of time, she said.
While it is difficult to identify or prosecute perpetrators of political persecution from the era, the commission would do its best to identify the harm done to victims, and use that information to establish politically just policies and legal systems, and to compensate them, she said.
All arms of the government have a responsibility to participate, she added.
Award-winning Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) pop singer Hsieh Ming-yu (謝銘祐) performed at the ceremony, which was also attended by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and commission Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠).
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS