President William Lai (賴清德) on Friday sent his condolences to the family of White Terror era victim Tsai Kuan-yu (蔡寬裕), who died a day earlier aged 91, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said.
“May [Tsai’s] spirit of unwavering dedication to the work of transitional justice and deep affection for Taiwan remain with us forever,” Kuo cited Lai as saying in a statement, adding that the president was “saddened” by Tsai’s passing and expressed condolences to Tsai’s family.
Kuo cited Tsai’s involvement in a civil society group which advocated for the rights of those who were politically persecuted during the Martial Law period from 1949 to 1987.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Kuo added that Tsai was also a “key proponent” of the introduction of the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice (促進轉型正義條例), paving the way for more government efforts to restore the truth behind state wrongdoings during the White Terror era and compensate those adversely affected.
The White Terror refers to a period of political repression in Taiwan by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government from 1949 to 1992.
Born on Feb. 5, 1933, in Taipei, Tsai was imprisoned twice for a total of 13 years between the 1950s and 1970s.
He was first targeted by the authorities in 1957 and detained for about six months after being accused of inciting his classmates to strike in protest against the government’s handling of the killing of a Taiwanese national by a US military officer, which was later known as the Liu Zi-ran (劉自然) incident.
In 1962, Tsai was apprehended for suspected involvement in pro-Taiwanese independence activities.
This time, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He was initially imprisoned in the then-Taipei County, but was later transferred to Taitung, where he was embroiled in an attempt by a group of activists outside the prison to occupy the facility by force as part of their pro-Taiwanese activities.
Tsai had agreed to help open the prison gate for the group, but the plan was uncovered before he could take any action.
As a result, Tsai received an additional three-year prison sentence.
After Tsai was released in May 1975, he launched a shoe manufacturing business in Taichung.
He began calling for government redress for political prisoners during the White Terror era after the lifting of martial law in 1987.
In his later years, he continued to volunteer at the National Human Rights Museum, where he gave lectures and guided tours regularly.
‘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
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and