20030803

Clearing 228 victims' names a milestone: Chen

REMEBERANCE: The president awarded certificates exonerating those killed by the KMT in a 1947 uprising against its brutal and venal rule

CNA , TAIPEI

"The people of Taiwan wanted social justice and democratic reforms, but were relentlessly suppressed by the KMT government."－Chen Shui-bian, president

President Chen Shui-bian said yesterday that clearing the names of the victims of the 228 Incident is a milestone for the nation as its democracy and human rights mature.

The president made the remarks when he presented rehabilitation certificates to each of the victims or the representatives of the victims of the 228 Incident in a ceremony held at the Presidential Office. The certificates were co-signed by Chen and Vice President Annette Lu.

"The 228 Incident was Taiwan's biggest historical wound since World War II, " the president said. "The people of Taiwan wanted social justice and democratic reforms, but were relentlessly suppressed by the KMT government, resulting in heavy casualties among the Taiwanese elite and ordinary civilians."

The KMT government, trying to cover its actions, labeled the incident a "mutiny," and the victims "mobsters," he added.

The president said that a rehabilitation certificate will not bring back past lives, but he was convinced that the incident was brought into the public consciousness only after the efforts of so many democratic forerunners.

After "scores of years of declassifying files and the investigation of oral historians, " the president said the 228 Incident is no longer just a "violent disturbance," or described as "Communist China orchestrating mobsters," but was "a protest against social injustice, a demand for democracy, and the advocacy of Taiwanese people ruling Taiwan," which he said has become the "228 spirit" and an "asset of Taiwan's historical culture."

He stressed that to "right the wrongs, pursue historical truth and social justice is the root of a nation based on human rights, and the rehabilitation of names of the 228 Incident is the upholding of human rights, and a milestone for Taiwan."

He extended his apologies again to the victims and their relatives for their sufferings over the years, hoping that every one in Taiwan would "learn from the incident, and work toward making Taiwan a just, peaceful country with dignity."

Speaking at the same occasion, Vice President Lu said that there should not be only concerts and flowers in memory of the incident each year, but that all generations should "learn the historical truth."

The 228 Memorial Foundation has agreed to do more to let the nation learn about the incident, she said.

The 228 Incident is so called after a rebellion against the KMT's venal and brutal rule which broke out on Feb. 27, 1947.

China bars US from trial of democracy activist `spy'

AFP , BEIJING

The US embassy in Beijing will be barred from the trial of US-based democracy activist Yang Jianli and his wife will be arrested if she tries to enter China for the case, people close to Yang said yesterday.

Yang is due to appear tomorrow at the capital's No. 2 Intermediate People's Court facing charges of espionage, which can result in the death penalty.

"The US embassy has been denied access to the trial. The Chinese said that since the trial involved state secrets, it will be closed," said Jared Genser, Yang's US-based legal adviser and president of the rights group Freedom Now.

Yang has lived in the US since 1989 when he was forced to flee China after the crackdown on the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests.

He was detained in April last year after he entered China using a friend's passport in an attempt to observe ongoing labor unrest.

This week the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution warning that cases like Yang's could harm relations between Beijing and Washington.

"China took what could have been a minor issue and turned it into a major one," said Genser.

An official at the US embassy in Beijing could not confirm that access to the trial had been denied, but speculated that if it were the case, it could be because Yang maintains Chinese citizenship.

"Since he is not an American citizen, the Chinese side does not have any obligation to allow us to attend," the official said.

Yang's wife, Christina Fu, told AFP from her home in the US that it would be impossible for her to go to China for her husband's trial.

"I would be arrested if I go," she said. "They said I helped him do some espionage."

"They just wanted to come up with something that was more serious than crossing the border," she said. "It's a way for them to punish my husband for his work to promote democracy in China."

While Yang has not been physically abused during his 15 months in jail, he has been interrogated "over and over again on more occasions than he could recall," Genser said.

The espionage charge is based on activities that took place a decade ago, according to a copy of an opinion on the case issued by the Beijing Bureau of National Security and obtained by AFP.

Officials from Taiwan's Kuomintang party tasked Yang with "developing a wide circle of friends, and collecting inside information, especially government documents on Taiwan policy and living conditions of the mainland people," the opinion said.

According to Yang supporters, he was merely encouraged by representatives of the Kuomintang to give US$100 each to four people, including three relatives and a friend, to fund various projects in China.

Yang, a father of two, is the founder and president of the Foundation for China in the 21st Century which seeks to promote the cause of democracy in China.