A permanent exhibition on Taiwan’s decades-long fight for speech freedoms opened on Thursday at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, where participants also remembered late democracy activist Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), who committed suicide 33 years ago.
The exhibition, titled Taiwan’s Long Walk to Freedom of Speech, chronicles the country’s social movements and key events in support of speech freedoms, Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) said at the opening ceremony.
From 1945 until 1992, when a law that made dissent illegal was amended, numerous people across many generations sacrificed personal freedoms, and even their lives, to fight for free speech and democracy under the authoritarian government, he said.
Photo: CNA
The large collection of photographs, paintings, interview clips and documents provide comprehensive and rigorous accounts of their struggles, he said.
Taiwan was under martial law from 1949 to 1987, during which freedom of speech, association and publication were heavily suppressed.
Even after martial law was lifted, freedom of speech continued to be stifled until Article 100 of the Criminal Code, which allowed the imprisonment of people deemed to be guilty of anti-state activities, was amended in 1992.
The exhibition is a commemorative event for Freedom of Speech Day, which has been observed in Taiwan every April 7 since 2016 to remember Deng.
Deng was the publisher of the political magazine Freedom Era Weekly until he committed suicide at his office on April 7, 1989, while facing charges of sedition. He self-immolated and set fire to his office instead of appearing in court.
To illustrate Deng’s dedication to promoting freedom of speech, the exhibition also showcases a life-size replica of his office, the Ministry of Culture said.
The ministry chose the exhibition location to show its continued effort to transform the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall into a venue that champions democratic values and civil liberties, it said.
The exhibition is being held at the hall decades after Taiwanese began mobilizing at the location to call for freedom and democracy, said Chen Chu (陳菊), president of the Control Yuan and head of the National Human Rights Commission.
It is a “long walk” that Taiwan has taken to reach its current state, Chen said, adding that the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on the importance of democracy and freedom.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS