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Officials observe 228 anniversary
CHECKS AND BALANCES: President Ma said education, as well
as local representatives and media keeping the government in check, would
prevent another 228 Massacre
By Ko Shu-ling and Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTERS
Monday, Mar 01, 2010, Page 1
President Ma Ying-jeou, right, attends a
gathering in Taipei yesterday to commemorate the thousands of people killed by
Chinese Nationalist troops during the 228 Massacre 63 years ago.
PHOTO: PATRICK LIN, AFP
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday apologized to victims
of the 228 Massacre and their families at a national memorial service marking
the 63rd anniversary of the event, saying he hoped the tragedy would become a
driving force for the advancement of Taiwan.
He also said, however, that regardless of how many times the government
apologized, it could not ease the pain of victims and their families.
“The most important thing is not to let it happen again. We must also strengthen
education on democracy and human rights,” he said in a speech delivered at the
national memorial service in Tainan City yesterday morning.
The 228 Massacre refers to an uprising against the then-Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) government that began on Feb. 27, 1947.
A Taiwanese woman selling contraband cigarettes was beaten by Monopoly Bureau
agents, leading to rioting that was brutally crushed by KMT troops sent from
China, leaving thousands dead.
Lin I-hsiung, left, his wife Fang Su-mei and
friends attend a memorial service for the victims of the 228 Incident of 1947,
and for Lin’s mother and two of his daughters, who were murdered on Feb. 28,
1980.
PHOTO: HU CHIEN-SEN, TAIPEI TIMES
It marked the beginning of the infamous White Terror and the
purge of “dissidents” in which people suspected of being anti-government were
jailed. Many died or disappeared, with no explanations given to their families.
Because Taiwan is now a democratic society, Ma said he believed that as long as
local representatives and the media continue to keep the government in check,
there would not be another 228 Massacre.
“The 228 Incident gives Taiwan a great opportunity to review itself,” he said.
“I hope Taiwan will become freer, more advanced and more democratic. I also hope
the incident will become the motivation for Taiwan to move forward.”
Ma said that 63 years ago, the government was so corrupt that it caused a lot of
public suffering and many people lost their freedom or even their lives.
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who also attended the service, said three things about
the 228 Massacre need to be handled. Those were uncovering the truth, continuing
legal and moral compensation for the victims and their families, and restoring
their reputations, he said.
He said that after he was sworn in as premier in September, he asked the
legislature to approve a NT$300 million (US$9.3 million) budget to renovate
the national 228 memorial museum.
The legislature has since passed the measure.
The 228 Memorial Foundation planned to open the national 228 memorial museum
next year to present the “honest” truth behind the “228 Incident” free from
political bias, he said.
Later yesterday when attending another memorial service at Taipei City’s 228
Monument in 228 Peace Park, family members of 228 Massacre victims — in the
presence of Ma — said the full truth about the massacre still hasn’t been
revealed and urged the KMT government to stop hiding evidence.
“The full truth of the 228 Incident still hasn’t been uncovered,” Chiang
Chieh-yun (蔣節雲), daughter of former Taiwan provincial councilor Chiang Wei-chuan
(蔣渭川) who narrowly escaped death during the massacre, said on behalf of 228
victims’ families at the ceremony.
“We [families of the 228 victims] no longer have hate in mind and we get along
well with Mainlanders,” she said. “But we only want the full truth — the KMT
should stop covering up the evidence, be frank, be responsible and publicize
everything [about the massacre].”
Delivering his remarks after Chiang, Ma said he agreed that historical facts
about the 228 Massacre should be uncovered, adding that this was what the
government has been doing.
“Just last year, Academia Sinica released its latest report about the shooting
of a man along with his brother and son based on formerly classified documents,”
Ma said.
Although the ceremony proceeded smoothly, after the event, Ma ran into
protesters who called his government incompetent and called on him to step down.
While Ma was initially scheduled to leave the venue immediately after the
ceremony, he changed his mind and went to the 228 Memorial Museum at another
corner of the park to take a look at an exhibition by Taiwanese painter Chen
Cheng-po (陳澄波), who was executed in Chiayi City during the 1947 massacre.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who accompanied Ma at the time, later told
reporters that Ma changed his mind because he was touched after hearing Chen’s
story.
Chen was arrested by KMT troops and executed when he tried to help negotiate a
ceasefire agreement between the uprising militia that laid siege to an airport
in Chiayi and KMT troops.
Before his execution, Chen said he did not regret sacrificing his life for the
people, but asked Taiwanese to show solidarity.
As Ma walked out of a controlled area cleared by security personnel, he came
face to face with the crowd, some of whom shouted: “the incompetent government
is a fraudulent organization.”
When Ma arrived at the front entrance of the museum, a group of Alliance of
Referendum for Taiwan members that had gathered there for another 228 memorial
event in the afternoon yelled: “Ma Ying-jeou, step down!”
The protest did not last long as Ma quickly went into the museum and left by the
back door after touring the exhibition.
Hau, meanwhile, made mistakes in his speech for the occasion, saying several
times that this year marked the 36th anniversary of the 228 Massacre.
A 228 memorial was also held in Kaohsiung yesterday, with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen
Chu (陳菊) urging the KMT to reveal the truth of the incident as well as the
murder of former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) family members.
Lin’s mother and twin daughters were killed at their home on Feb. 28, 1980,
while Lin was in custody for joining a pro-democracy rally. The incident came to
be known as the “Lin Family Murder.” The assailants have never been caught.
“Without truth, we do not have any foundation for peace,” she said, adding that
reconciliation and forgiveness would not be possible unless the KMT reviewed
what it did in the past.
Chen Chu said she hoped the blood of the nation’s democracy pioneers would not
have been spilled in vain and that the truth about the murder of the Lin family
would eventually be unearthed.
A memorial ceremony in Taipei yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the loss
of Lin’s loves ones. Lin, his familiy, friends and other prominent DPP members
attended the memorial service at Gikong Church (義光教會) on Xinyi Road — previously
the family residence and the site of the murders.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called the incident “a tragedy shared by all
Taiwanese.”
“It is something that will always live on in our history,” she said.
Meanwhile, the New Party yesterday organized a blood drive in Xindian (新店),
Taipei County, calling on the public to commemorate the 228 Massacre in a
peaceful and meaningful manner.
“Too many politicians use the 228 Incident to agitate conflict between ‘ethnic’
groups for political purposes. We are hoping to promote harmony between
different ‘ethnic’ groups and political parties through the blood donation
event,” New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) said.
The New Party initiated the event in 2004 aiming to replace bloody clashes with
blood donations in commemoration of the 228 Massacre.
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