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Oct. 25 is Taiwan’s
date with disaster
By Kuo Cheng-deng 郭正典
It is clear from the suggestion President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) recently made about
the possibility of signing a cross-strait peace agreement that he is preparing
to carry out the last wish of his late father as he lay on his deathbed, that he
continue to work toward eventual unification. If the public lets Ma and the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) go on trampling Taiwan underfoot, it will be the
nation’s third major disaster.
On Oct. 25, 1945, dictator Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) representative General Chen
Yi (陳儀) accepted the surrender of Japanese armed forces on Taiwan on behalf of
the Allied powers in a ceremony held at the Taipei City Hall, now Zhongshan
Hall. That followed the surrender of Japanese forces in China, which was
accepted by General Ho Ying-chin (何應欽) in Nanjing on Sept. 9.
The KMT government designated Oct. 25 “Taiwan Retrocession Day,” but actually
the Allies only mandated Chiang with the task of administering Taiwan, and China
was not given sovereignty. That being the case, there was of course no
“retrocession” of Taiwan to China.
Taiwanese at first welcomed the KMT government and army, but disappointingly the
KMT did not treat Taiwanese at all well. On the contrary, they plundered
Taiwan’s resources.
The KMT’s arrival was followed by the 228 Incident and the ensuing massacre.
Then, following the KMT’s full-scale retreat to Taiwan in 1949, came the White
Terror era and 38 years of martial law.
So Oct. 25, 1945, in fact marked the commencement of the KMT’s oppression of
Taiwanese. It really should be called “Taiwan Downfall Day.”
That day was Taiwan’s first major disaster. It was not a “retrocession” and
there was nothing glorious about it.
On Oct. 25, 1971, the 26th session of the UN General Assembly adopted by an
overwhelming majority the resolution on the Restoration of the Lawful Rights of
the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations, which was sponsored by
Albania and 22 other countries.
The resolution was to “restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China
and to recognize the representatives of its government as the only legitimate
representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the
representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy
at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it.”
Following the withdrawal of Chiang’s representatives from the UN, Taiwan faced a
severe challenge in its foreign relations. As of January 1971, 66 of the world’s
139 countries maintained diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC)
government on Taiwan, while only 48 had ties with Beijing. By the end of 1971,
the ROC had only 52 diplomatic allies left. This number fell to 37 in 1973, 26
in 1976 and 23 in 1978. Today, Taiwan has diplomatic ties with 23 countries.
From Oct. 25, 1971, onward, Taiwanese have become refugees who are not respected
in the international community. So that date could also be called “Taiwanese
International Refugee Day.”
That day in 1971 should be considered Taiwan’s second major disaster.
“Taiwan Downfall Day” and “Taiwanese International Refugee Day” both brought
great hardship to Taiwanese, so Oct. 25 each year should really be named “Taiwan
Double Disaster Day.”
On this day, people must not forget the hardship inflicted on them in the 65
years since the KMT was exiled to Taiwan. Taiwanese should be aware that if they
don’t get rid of the KMT soon, their days of hardship will drag on, with no way
out in sight.
Kuo Cheng-deng is chairman of the Healthy Taiwan Society.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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