Taiwan Church News
3432 Edition
December 4 – 10, 2017
Headline News

Book Launch On Transitional Justice Commemorating The 70th Anniversary Of 228 Massacre

Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong

In order to commemorate the 70th anniversary of 228 massacre, a book launch of Rectification for 228 event and transitional justice was held at National 228 Memorial Museum on December 2. There are at least two articles reportingthe positive contributions of PCT to stand by Taiwan society and her people during this tragic event.

Prof Hsueh Hua-yuan, chairman of Memorial Foundation of 228, revealed that it seemed to be more than one thousand 228 victims, whose identities are still buried deep in the classified documents currently kept by some agencies of military intelligence, according to the Foundation’s research and study.

Prof Hu Po-yen, an expert of constitution at department of law at Soochow University, criticized the stringent requirement of Personal Information Protection Act would become a legal weapons for those man slaughterers to cover up their identities and hamper the authentic pursuit of historical studies for 228 massacre.

Dr Chen Yi-sen, associate research fellow of Institute of Modern History at Academia Sinica, pointed out straightforwardly that the main reason why Democratic Progressive Party, the majority party in congress, could not carry out the policy of transitional justice thoroughly is due to the ousted Nationalist Party (KMT) is still holding about one-thirds seats in the parliament resisting any legitimization of transitional justice.

While, comparing the implementation of transitional justice of Germany after 1989, the communist party in eastern Germany was totally prohibited and disbanded to facilitate the government’s rectification and social re-construction, Dr Chen said.

Mr Tsai Kuan-yu, president of Formosan Political Prisoner Association, urged the government to pass Transitional Justice Act as soon as possible. If there is no legal base legitimated by the congress for transitional justice, many rectifying campaigns, like dismantling the Chiang Kai-sheik Memorial Hall or disclosing the 228 perpetrator’s identities, would be filled with shameless complaints and tedious lawsuits from KMT and its blind supporters.

Tranlated by Peter Wolfe