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Marchers tell public not to forget
massacre
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Family members of victims of the
228 Massacre place flowers on the commemorative plaque in 228 Peace Memorial
Park in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Senior Democratic Progressive
Party and Taiwan Solidarity Union politician, standing behind banner, attend a
march in Taipei yesterday calling on people to never forget the 228 Massacre.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Hundreds of people marched in the streets
of Taipei yesterday to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the 228 Incident,
urging the public not to forget the tragedy and ensuing White Terror era, which
wiped out almost an entire generation of Taiwan’s elite.
Representatives from various civic groups and victims’ families joined the
parade, which started at Yongle Market at 2:28pm and ended at Liberty Square.
The march, held under the theme of “Never forget the March massacre,” has become
an annual ritual to commemorate victims of the bloody suppression of
anti-government uprisings that began on Feb. 27, 1947, resulting in the deaths
of tens of thousands of civilians.
In a speech at Yongle Market, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su
Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) lamented the death of many Taiwanese leaders and intellectuals
in the “March crackdown (三月清鄉).”
The compensation for victims’ families should be paid by the Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT), the perpetrator of the massacre, and not taxpayers, Su said, adding
that the “real history” should be included in textbooks and taught in school
because the public is entitled to know the truth about the tragedy.
“Most important of all, Taiwanese should have the self-awareness to be their own
master and determine their own fate,” Su said.
Former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called on the public to have the
courage to keep moving forward and fight for democracy like their predecessors,
who persevered despite having to endure state violence in the 228 Massacre and
the ensuing White Terror period during which democracy and freedom were
non-existent.
Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said the 228 Massacre was
the result of forcibly merging two different cultures, with one side holding a
military advantage.
Taiwan’s current status is similar to that in 1947, as China and some Taiwanese
politicians have been trying to merge the two sides by force, with Beijing
enjoying superior military capability, he said.
“If Taiwanese failed to learn from the past, there could be another 228
Incident,” Huang said.
Waving flags and holding chrysanthemums, participants in the march reached
Liberty Square after about one hour.
While most of the participants were senior citizens, young people joined them at
the square, where a music festival and speeches were held in the evening.
Pro-independence groups and students associations from universities across the
country set up tents at the square. A bulletin board describing the 228 Massacre
was also set up to help people understand the tragic incident.
The master of ceremonies, a preacher from Taiwan Presbyterian Church, spoke in
Mandarin throughout the event to help Chinese tourists at the square — a popular
sightseeing spot — understand what the ceremony was about.
The evening session was co-organized by various student groups to help people
remember the massacre “in a lighter, but still serious” way, said Lin Kai-hsiang
(林楷翔), a co-convener of the event, which was titled “Symbiosis Music Festival
(共生音樂節).”
Several bands, including Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤) and Fire Ex (滅火器), performed and a
number of university professors spoke at the festival.
In response to reporters’ questions about tightened security at the 228 memorial
ceremony, Tsai expressed regret over the measure.
“On a day of introspection for everyone, in particular for the KMT, it is a pity
that the administration of [President] Ma [Ying-jeou (馬英九)] would resort to
inappropriate security deployment to restrict people’s freedom of movement,”
Tsai said, adding that “it was not an attitude that the KMT should be showing on
the anniversary of the 228 Massacre.”
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