President Chen Shui-bian (
"We know the wounds caused by the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) half-century authoritarian rule and the 38-year Martial Law era it imposed will not heal in our generation, but we pledge to do our best to prevent a comeback of anti-reform, anti-democracy and anti-Taiwan forces," Chen said.
Chen made the remarks at an academic symposium on human rights and political issues.
Since its coming to power in 2000, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been active in granting compensation to victims of the White Terror era and redressing miscarriages of justices. Chen said, however, that doing so has not led to more unity and harmony within the nation.
"This is because we haven't brought the oppressors to justice. Until that is achieved, there will be no reconciliation, let alone forgiveness, because there has been no truth," he said.
Chen said the DPP administration's efforts over the past year to rename public establishments making references to dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) were the first step toward ending the cult of personality that emerged during the single party regime.
Chen said the Cabinet's renaming Chiang Kai-shek International Airport Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall were examples of that policy.
The Cabinet also abolished the commemoration days marking Chiang's birth and passing -- Oct. 31 and April 5 respectively -- and will soon renovate the memorial hall's portals to replace inscription alluding to Chiang's name with the new heading "Freedom Plaza," he said.
Chen said Taiwan must stick to the reforms to help the nation "emerge from the shadows and shackles of martial law and become a truly free, normal and complete democracy."
Chen then defended the plan to replace the inscription dazhong zhizheng (大中至正) at the entry arch at National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall with "Liberty Square" (自由廣場).
"[Chiang] was a dictator whose hands were full of the blood of Taiwanese people. Only when we stop worshipping him can we become a normal and democratic country," he said.
Tsai Tsing-yen (蔡清彥), president of the Foundation for Compensation for Improper Trials During the Martial Law Era, said that as of last month 8,696 individuals had filed requests for name clearance.
Data from the Ministry of Justice showed that 3,000 to 8,000 people were executed following the 228 Incident, a military crackdown on civilian protests that started on Feb. 28, 1947. Other statistics showed that the former government cancelled the registrations of 126,875 people whose whereabouts were unknown as of 1960, Chen said.
At the symposium, Christian Schafferer, an Austrian at the Overseas Chinese Institute of Technology in Taiwan, presented a paper on the perception of transitional justice in Taiwan.
"The KMT rule of Taiwan is known to the world as a period of great economic achievement. However, few are willing to accept that the KMT government was involved in the widespread and systematic torture and killings of tens of thousands of civilians," he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS