A total of 108 people — including 33 victims of the 228 Massacre and 75 family members — yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), demanding it apologize for the massacre and compensate them for their hardship.
“Nearly 63 years have passed, still the KMT has never shown any intention to take responsibility and apologize to victims and their families,” Yang Chen-lung (楊振隆), whose uncle was killed by KMT troops, told a press conference at the 228 Memorial Park in Taipei.
Chou Chen-tsai (周振才), the relative of a victim, said the legal action was not only an attempt to seek justice, but also an act of protest.
PHOTO: CNA
“Until today, a lot of people still don’t know why their relatives were taken away, while others don’t know where the bodies of murdered family members are,” Chou said. “When the KMT is in power, all it wants to do is destroy the evidence.”
“So we must stand up and protest,” he said.
Lee Rong-chang (李榮昌), a wheelchair-bound son of a victim, is one of those who still doesn’t know why his father was taken away or what happened to him.
“I will always remember, it was March 10, 1947, when a KMT soldier came in and asked my father to go with him because his superior wanted to see him,” Lee said. “It was around 4pm or 5pm, and we never saw him again.”
He said he wanted to know the truth, saying he “would crawl to the courthouse to sue them [the KMT]” if the truth could be revealed through the lawsuit.
The 228 Incident refers to the uprising in 1947 against the KMT regime and the brutal crackdown that left tens of thousands dead and led to a nearly four-decade-long rule under martial law.
“This is why all 108 of us are filing this lawsuit against the KMT,” Yang said.
The victims and their families asked the KMT to publish a half-page apology on the front page of all the nation’s major Chinese-language newspapers, as well as in the New York Times and the Times in London, to donate NT$2 billion (US$62 million) to the 228 Memorial Foundation for a national 228 memorial museum and to release all 228 Massacre-related documents in the KMT’s archives.
The victims, their families and supporters marched to the Taipei District Court to file the lawsuit.
In response, KMT spokesperson Chen Shu-jung (陳淑容) said the party respected the 228 victims’ right to file a lawsuit, but added that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has devoted his efforts to uncovering the truth behind the incident and providing compensation to victims and their families.
KAOHSIUNG
In related news, the Kaohsiung City Government will commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the massacre with a series of events highlighting the theme of forgiveness.
A conference was held at Kaohsiung Municipal Senior High School to reflect on the school’s importance in the incident. People gathered at the school during the massacre to protest against the brutality of police and soldiers in southern Taiwan.
Students from the school at the time united with students from other schools, but they were seen by the then-KMT government as mobs and by authorities cracked down on them during the incident.
SERVICE
A memorial service will be held at 9am tomorrow at the city’s 228 Memorial Park, where attendees will highlight the ideals of peace and justice with lilies, Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director-General Shih Jhe (史哲) said.
The Kaohsiung Film Archive will also screen a series of films on peace and human rights through next Friday, Shih said, adding that the city government hoped to help Taiwanese face the historical pain with forgiveness and fill their heart with hope for the future.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND MO YAN-CHIH
Also See: Are we on the brink of a new 228?
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