Transitional Justice Commission Acting Chairwoman Yang Tsui (楊翠) yesterday said that the commission is shifting its attention to declassifying documents and dealing with authoritarian symbols.
Yang made the remarks during a radio interview, when the host asked her to comment on the commission’s next order of business following the one-year anniversary of its founding on May 31 last year.
The commission is to step up its efforts to collect records and documents from archives and depositories over the next year, with an eye toward increasing the volume of documents available, while it plans to start dealing with authoritarian symbols this month, she said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
When asked to identify the commission’s main challenges, Yang said that the bureaucratic instinct toward secrecy remains a difficulty during historical reconstruction and declassification efforts.
To exonerate victims of political persecution, the commission must first investigate the historical facts surrounding their cases, but the materials it has obtained from government agencies have often been redacted to the point of illegibility, she said.
The commission frequently has to negotiate with governmental agencies for access to documents in a less-censored form, she said.
An important contributing factor to these difficulties is the belatedness of the nation’s transitional justice program, she said, adding that resistance to transparency in many cases is rooted in institutional habit, not ill-intent.
“I believe transitional justice is a work of advocacy of which communication is a part,” she said, adding that the commission is overseeing its sixth large-scale transfer of documents of about 130,000 items.
Asked to name an event of personal emotional resonance she experienced as a member of the commission over its first year, Yang said that she was moved when former Japanese Imperial Navy veteran Huang Chin-tao (黃金島) showed up in a wheelchair at the commission’s first-ever ceremony on Oct. 5 last year, held to exonerate victims of political persecution, despite him suffering an illness.
“I was very much moved when I saw the corner of Huang’s eye glisten and he shook with emotion as he went through the documents of exoneration during the ceremony,” she said.
As she is a descendent of novelist Yang Kui (楊逵), who was jailed for 12 years for political crimes, it was deeply gratifying to see Huang at the ceremony, Yang said.
Born in Taichung during the Japanese colonial era, Huang served as a volunteer soldier in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
After Japan’s defeat in World War II in 1945, he was detained in China’s Hainan Province before escaping and returning to Taiwan.
He headed an armed uprising against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) troops following the 228 Incident in 1947, an act for which he received a death sentence that was later commuted to life in prison.
He was released in 1975 after serving 24 years in prison.
Huang died in January aged 93.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he