As the 20th anniversary of the murder of DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung's (
Family friends said it was once impossible for Lin and his wife Fang Su-min (
But today, the couple and their friends say they are finally able to move on and feel they want to do something in memory of the twins.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
On Feb. 28, 1980, when Lin was jailed and awaiting trial for his participation in the Kaohsiung Incident the year before, an unknown killer came to his house in an alley off Hsinyi Road and fatally stabbed Lin's then 60-year-old mother and his three daughters.
His eldest daughter, Lin Huan-chin (
The murder, which remains unsolved, is often thought to have been politically motivated because of Lin's active role in the opposition movement.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The standard claim by officials at the time was that a burglar was responsible.
Physically, the twin girls may have been absent from the family for 20 years, but they are living every moment in their mother's memory.
"It would have been their 26th birthday on Feb. 2 this year. They should have had dates like other girls at their age. And they might have married like their elder sister did," Fang said.
"I had only six years to be with Ting-chin and Liang-chin. But it is a lifelong memory they have left with me," Fang said.
The Chilin Foundation (慈林文教基金會), founded by the Lins and some of their friends, will hold a memorial event on the birthdays of the sisters on Feb. 2, instead of Feb. 28, the day they died.
"We'd like to remember the joy the girls' births brought to the Lin family and many other friends, rather than recall the anger and sadness their deaths brought us," said Chen Ming-chung (陳銘政), organizer of the event, to be held at the 228 Peace Park.
"Politics is something we want to avoid during the event. We miss the two lovely kids and we believe we have to do something for them 20 years after their deaths," Chen added.
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS