The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) should apologize for the atrocities committed during the White Terror era and turn over all documents concerning the 228 Incident, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen also asked the KMT to return assets stolen from the people, rather than selling them off at reduced prices.
"We find it unacceptable that some politicians' words do not match their actions. They apologize on the one hand, but sell off their stolen party assets on the other," he said.
PHOTO: AFP
"Such politicians are not fit to lead the country," he said.
Chen made the remarks in a speech to the national memorial service commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 1947 massacre at Taipei City's 228 Peace Park yesterday afternoon.
Vice President Annette Lu (
MANY, MANY VICTIMS
Saying the 228 Incident was not an "ordinary historical event," the president said that anyone who had suffered under the KMT's authoritarian reign was also a victim of the incident.
Although the government has made efforts to help 228 Incident victims and their families to cope with their pain, there was much more to be done, Chen said.
"Sixty years is not the end but a new beginning," he said. "Future work will focus on addressing the responsibility of perpetrators."
"Only when the truth is known can fairness and justice be served," he said.
Such responsibilities include renaming Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chiang Kai-shek's (
At the ceremony, Chen presented certificates to four victims of the "228 Incident" to restore their reputations. They had been labeled as "hooligans" on their household registrations during the KMT's reign.
Yesterday morning, Chen unveiled the name plaque of the new National 228 Incident Museum.
He also urged the legislature to approve legal revisions to the Statute for Handling of and Compensation for the 228 Incident (
The government proposed an amendment to the law which has been blocked by pan-blue lawmakers since it was introduced in October 2005.
LEE'S PROMISE
Meanwhile, former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee said he would continue to push for the country's name to be changed, for the enactment of a new constitution and for accession to the UN.
Lee made the remarks at the "10,000 People Sing" event held yesterday afternoon on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office. The event was cosponsored by the 228 Foundation.
In other developments, Su urged KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to do more to help 228 Incident victims and their family members.
ONUS ON KMT
"[Ma] always says that he's sorry for the victims and their family members. Well, I hope he shows some sincerity," Su said as he attended the grand opening of the 228 National Memorial Hall yesterday morning.
Su said the KMT had done little -- other than make apologies -- to make reparations to 228 Incident victims and their families.
He urged Ma to turn over 228 Incident-related documents kept in the KMT's museum to the government to help with the investigation into the incident. He also urged Ma to ask KMT members to stop boycotting proposed laws or amendments related to 228.
"I would also suggest [Ma] return the party's assets stolen from the people [to the government so that they can be allocated] for the use of 228 Incident victims and their families," Su said.
The premier said the KMT's museum has documents detailing the progress of the 228 Incident, including the twice-a-day telegrams that KMT members sent to the party's headquarters in Nanjing to update party leaders on the latest developments.
The KMT headquarters then deployed more troops to Taiwan and worked with its Taipei branch to coordinate the arrests of people whose names were on a check list, he said.
"Victims and their families expect the truth to come out because there will be no forgiveness if there is no truth," Su said. "The KMT should help to make this happen by doing more, not just saying `sorry.'"
The premier said the KMT had perpetrated the 228 Incident and its aftermath was its responsibility.
Su added that the government should not be responsible for paying compensation to the victims or their families.
"The government's money comes from the people. It is their tax money, from their hard work," he said. "The KMT created the tragedy. It would be natural for the party to pay compensation. I do not see anything wrong with that, since the majority of the KMT's assets were stolen from the people anyway."
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
SECURITY RISK: If there is a conflict between China and Taiwan, ‘there would likely be significant consequences to global economic and security interests,’ it said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the US and continues to make progress on capabilities to seize Taiwan, a report by US intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The report provides an overview of the “collective insights” of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations. In its Annual Threat Assessment, the agencies divided threats facing the US into two broad categories, “nonstate transnational criminals and terrorists” and “major state actors,” with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea named. Of those countries, “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat