Loved ones and democracy activists gathered yesterday to pay tribute to Deng Nan-jung (
"My heart aches. No matter how strong I want to be ... tears still run like water down my face," said Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), Deng's widow and former acting Kao-hsiung mayor at a commemorative event hosted by the Deng Liberty Foundation (鄭南榕基金會) at Chinpaoshan Cemetery (金寶山) in Taipei County.
On April 7, 1989, Deng, then editor-in-chief of Freedom Era Weekly (
PHOTO: CNA
Among the more than 100 people attended the ceremony was Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun.
Questioning whether Taiwanese trust the nation's political parties, government, politicians and media, Yu said that Deng's self-immolation was the result of his being true to his belief in democracy.
Yu added that as Taiwan searches for a new Taiwanese democracy, Deng's example helped people believe, stay true to their word and behave in an upright manner, which Yu said was the kind of person Taiwan required today.
Yeh thanked everyone for attending the service and said that Deng had made her feel their family was the proudest and happiest one in Taiwan.
Yeh added that while Taiwan had left the white terror behind over the past 18 years to become a country that enjoys freedom of expression, it is also necessary to consider the responsibilities that this freedom implies.
Born in Taiwan in 1947 to a Chinese father, Deng publicly argued for Taiwan independence on numerous occasions during the 1980s -- a time when vocal supporters of independence were often charged with sedition.
"I am the child of a mainlander and I advocate Taiwan independence," he once said.
After failing to win his philosophy diploma from National Taiwan University because he refused to take courses on the philosophies of Sun Yat-sen (
A follower of liberalism, Deng held a deep belief in freedom of expression and established Freedom Era Weekly in 1984 in pursuit of what he called "100 percent freedom of expression."
To prevent the magazine from being banned or suspended by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime, Deng registered licenses under 18 different names such as "a spare tire."
The magazine lasted five years and eight months and finally closed six months after Deng's death.
The magazine achieved fame in the 1980s, when the country was under martial law, for its reports on the KMT's corrupt practices and articles that challenged the authority of late president Chiang Ching-kuo (
As a result of its outspokenness, the magazine broke the record for the number of times a publication had been banned or suspended.
Yesterday's ceremony ended with Reverend Kao Chun-ming (
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS