President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday apologized to victims of the 228 Massacre and their families at a national memorial service marking the 63rd anniversary of the event, saying he hoped the tragedy would become a driving force for the advancement of Taiwan.
He also said, however, that regardless of how many times the government apologized, it could not ease the pain of victims and their families.
“The most important thing is not to let it happen again. We must also strengthen education on democracy and human rights,” he said in a speech delivered at the national memorial service in Tainan City yesterday morning.
PHOTO: PATRICK LIN, AFP
The 228 Massacre refers to an uprising against the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government that began on Feb. 27, 1947.
A Taiwanese woman selling contraband cigarettes was beaten by Monopoly Bureau agents, leading to rioting that was brutally crushed by KMT troops sent from China, leaving thousands dead.
It marked the beginning of the infamous White Terror and the purge of “dissidents” in which people suspected of being anti-government were jailed. Many died or disappeared, with no explanations given to their families.
PHOTO: HU CHIEN-SEN, TAIPEI TIMES
Because Taiwan is now a democratic society, Ma said he believed that as long as local representatives and the media continue to keep the government in check, there would not be another 228 Massacre.
“The 228 Incident gives Taiwan a great opportunity to review itself,” he said. “I hope Taiwan will become freer, more advanced and more democratic. I also hope the incident will become the motivation for Taiwan to move forward.”
Ma said that 63 years ago, the government was so corrupt that it caused a lot of public suffering and many people lost their freedom or even their lives.
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who also attended the service, said three things about the 228 Massacre need to be handled. Those were uncovering the truth, continuing legal and moral compensation for the victims and their families, and restoring their reputations, he said.
He said that after he was sworn in as premier in September, he asked the legislature to approve a NT$300 million (US$9.3 million) budget to renovate the national 228 memorial museum.
The legislature has since passed the measure.
The 228 Memorial Foundation planned to open the national 228 memorial museum next year to present the “honest” truth behind the “228 Incident” free from political bias, he said.
Later yesterday when attending another memorial service at Taipei City’s 228 Monument in 228 Peace Park, family members of 228 Massacre victims — in the presence of Ma — said the full truth about the massacre still hasn’t been revealed and urged the KMT government to stop hiding evidence.
“The full truth of the 228 Incident still hasn’t been uncovered,” Chiang Chieh-yun (蔣節雲), daughter of former Taiwan provincial councilor Chiang Wei-chuan (蔣渭川) who narrowly escaped death during the massacre, said on behalf of 228 victims’ families at the ceremony.
“We [families of the 228 victims] no longer have hate in mind and we get along well with Mainlanders,” she said. “But we only want the full truth — the KMT should stop covering up the evidence, be frank, be responsible and publicize everything [about the massacre].”
Delivering his remarks after Chiang, Ma said he agreed that historical facts about the 228 Massacre should be uncovered, adding that this was what the government has been doing.
“Just last year, Academia Sinica released its latest report about the shooting of a man along with his brother and son based on formerly classified documents,” Ma said.
Although the ceremony proceeded smoothly, after the event, Ma ran into protesters who called his government incompetent and called on him to step down.
While Ma was initially scheduled to leave the venue immediately after the ceremony, he changed his mind and went to the 228 Memorial Museum at another corner of the park to take a look at an exhibition by Taiwanese painter Chen Cheng-po (陳澄波), who was executed in Chiayi City during the 1947 massacre.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who accompanied Ma at the time, later told reporters that Ma changed his mind because he was touched after hearing Chen’s story.
Chen was arrested by KMT troops and executed when he tried to help negotiate a ceasefire agreement between the uprising militia that laid siege to an airport in Chiayi and KMT troops.
Before his execution, Chen said he did not regret sacrificing his life for the people, but asked Taiwanese to show solidarity.
As Ma walked out of a controlled area cleared by security personnel, he came face to face with the crowd, some of whom shouted: “the incompetent government is a fraudulent organization.”
When Ma arrived at the front entrance of the museum, a group of Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan members that had gathered there for another 228 memorial event in the afternoon yelled: “Ma Ying-jeou, step down!”
The protest did not last long as Ma quickly went into the museum and left by the back door after touring the exhibition.
Hau, meanwhile, made mistakes in his speech for the occasion, saying several times that this year marked the 36th anniversary of the 228 Massacre.
A 228 memorial was also held in Kaohsiung yesterday, with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) urging the KMT to reveal the truth of the incident as well as the murder of former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) family members.
Lin’s mother and twin daughters were killed at their home on Feb. 28, 1980, while Lin was in custody for joining a pro-democracy rally. The incident came to be known as the “Lin Family Murder.” The assailants have never been caught.
“Without truth, we do not have any foundation for peace,” she said, adding that reconciliation and forgiveness would not be possible unless the KMT reviewed what it did in the past.
Chen Chu said she hoped the blood of the nation’s democracy pioneers would not have been spilled in vain and that the truth about the murder of the Lin family would eventually be unearthed.
A memorial ceremony in Taipei yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the loss of Lin’s loves ones. Lin, his familiy, friends and other prominent DPP members attended the memorial service at Gikong Church (義光教會) on Xinyi Road — previously the family residence and the site of the murders.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called the incident “a tragedy shared by all Taiwanese.”
“It is something that will always live on in our history,” she said.
Meanwhile, the New Party yesterday organized a blood drive in Xindian (新店), Taipei County, calling on the public to commemorate the 228 Massacre in a peaceful and meaningful manner.
“Too many politicians use the 228 Incident to agitate conflict between ‘ethnic’ groups for political purposes. We are hoping to promote harmony between different ‘ethnic’ groups and political parties through the blood donation event,” New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) said.
The New Party initiated the event in 2004 aiming to replace bloody clashes with blood donations in commemoration of the 228 Massacre.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang, Vincent Y. Chao and Mo Yan-chih
Also see:US congressmen mark 228 anniversary
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