The 228 Incident marked Taiwan's first major democratic movement after World War II, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said today, urging people to safeguard the nation's hard-earned democracy.
Ahead of Peace Memorial Day tomorrow, Cheng said that the Incident was not only a tragedy, but also the opening chapter in Taiwan's struggle for democracy.
Cheng, joined by senior KMT officials and civic group representatives, laid flowers at the 228 Peace Memorial Monument in Taipei's 228 Peace Memorial Park, and called on citizens to protect democratic rule of law, freedom of speech and judicial independence.
Photo: CNA
The Incident was the result of state violence and abuse of power, leaving a painful legacy of oppression and bloodshed, she said.
Taiwan's democratic and legal systems were forged through successive democratic movements and were intended to ensure an independent judiciary, Cheng said.
However, she criticized what she called a decline in judicial neutrality.
"Taiwan's judiciary today has willingly debased itself by becoming a tool of those in power, serving as their claw to strike at political opponents," she said.
Constitutional democracy requires limits on state power, Cheng said, adding that a constitution exists to restrain those in authority and prevent abuse, not to serve as a ruler's instrument.
The 228 Incident refers to civilian uprisings in Taiwan and the violent crackdown by the Nationalist government against them that began on Feb. 28, 1947.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS