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Return the White
Terror victims’ letters, Ma says
TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE: White Terror victim Huang
Wen-kung's son Huang Ta-yi suggested that the government rename the Chiang
Kai-shek Memorial Hall to 'White Terror Memorial Hall'
By Tseng Wei-chen / Staff Reporter
President Ma Ying-jeou, second
left, holds up a flower and observes a moment of silence at Jieshou Park in
Taipei yesterday in memory of those who suffered political oppression during the
Martial Law era.
Photo: CNA
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday
said he would ask the National Archive to search for notes, writings or letters
by victims of the White Terror era and return them to their families.
Ma made the remarks at a ceremony held at Jieshou Park in Taipei yesterday in
memory of those who suffered political oppression during the Martial Law era.
During the White Terror era, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government
killed tens of thousands of suspected dissidents, many intellectuals and members
of the social elite.
In his speech, Ma said the relevant files at the National Archive contained in
excess of 2 million pages, and that he hoped to draft a plan and allot funding
for the undermanned National Archive to return the victims’ private letters,
notes and writings to their families.
Ma added that he hoped the families of victims who would like the documents
would contact the National Archive.
Ma went on to say that preventing the outbreak of war would avoid the same
tragedy from happening again, adding that it was the primary reason why he has
worked to ameliorate cross-strait tensions since assuming the presidency in 2008
because he hoped that the “Chinese people [中華民族] would never fight one another
again.”
During the ceremony, letters by White Terror victim Huang Wen-kung (黃溫恭) were
returned to his family. Huang was sentenced to death for allegedly joining a
communist organization and working for the Chinese Communist Party.
Huang’s son, Huang Ta-yi (黃大一), said the Republic of China government was more
inhuman than the Qing Dynasty government, saying the latter did not confiscate
revolutionaries’ private letters.
“We’ve waited 58 years for [the return of] these letters, but how many 58 years
does a man’s life have?” Huang Ta-yi said.
Huang Ta-yi also suggested the government change the name of Chiang Kai-shek
Memorial Hall to “White Terror Memorial Hall.”
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
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