228 Memorial Foundation chairman Hsueh Hua-yuan (薛化元) criticized an unnamed governmental organization for its alleged unwillingness to declassify documents relating to the 228 Incident, calling its attitude reflective of the obstacles to declassifying materials regarding the White Terror era.
The 228 Incident refers to a crackdown launched by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) authoritarian regime against civilian demonstrations following an incident in Taipei on Feb. 27, 1947. It also marked the beginning of the White Terror era that saw thousands of Taiwanese arrested, imprisoned and executed.
Hsueh said Academia Historica had put in a great deal of effort to find new files for the 70th anniversary of the massacre this year.
The classification level of the files is low and reluctance to comply with Academia Historica’s declassification request is representative of the overall difficulty of declassifying files on the White Terror era, he said.
Most files are governmental and it is imperative for government organizations to periodically clear out file caches, Hsueh said.
Most archivists are not trained historians, he said, adding that agencies should keep the original files when relocating or archiving them.
“No file relating to transitional justice efforts should be shredded before being examined by academics,” Hsueh said.
Academia Historica director Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) said that only the office of a file’s origin could declassify the documents, adding that the government should amend the Personal Information Protection Act (個人資料保護法).
The law makes some information ralting to the Incident unavailable, Wu said, adding that the situation is “odd” at a time when the nation is trying to discover the facts about the Incident.
Wu also said that the Archives Act (檔案法) lacked sufficient power, as it does not grant access to documents filed by the KMT, adding that the Incident occurred during a time when the line between the party and the state was blurred.
“To understand the Incident, we must look into the KMT’s files, and such changes need to be enacted through the Legislative Yuan,” Wu said.
Academia Historica declined to name the government agency, saying only that it has just recently agreed to declassify related files.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for residents of Kinmen and Lienchiang counties to acquire Chinese ID cards in a bid to “blur national identities,” a source said. The efforts are part of China’s promotion of a “Kinmen-Xiamen twin-city living sphere, including a cross-strait integration pilot zone in China’s Fujian Province,” the source said. “The CCP is already treating residents of these outlying islands as Chinese citizens. It has also intensified its ‘united front’ efforts and infiltration of those islands,” the source said. “There is increasing evidence of espionage in Kinmen, particularly of Taiwanese military personnel being recruited by the
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
RSS