Taiwan Church News

3808 Edition

Feb 17 ~ 23, 2025

Weekly Topical

Only the Dark Remembered Can Taiwan March Forward in the Light

Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong from Taipei

Announcing the “228.0 Commemorative Action” to be held on February 22 and remembering the 75 anniversary of the 228 Massacre, more than 70 citizen groups, including the PCT, the Nylon Cheng Liberty Foundation, and the Association of Parent-Participation Education in Taiwan (APPET) and etc., held a press conference at Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute on Feb 13.

The press conference started intendedly at 2:28 p.m.. With a grand sheet of white cloth spreading on the wooden floor inside Tsai Rui-Jueh DR Institute, the history of 228 was read in sign language and poetry to symbolize Taiwanese mourn and commemoration of the 228 Massacre under KMT’s martial law rulings. This action drama also showcased the people’s will to safeguard democracy and freedom in Taiwan.

The 228.0 Commemorative Action consisted of three teams of partitioners, all dressed in black and with slogans in white banners,marching forward amid the streets in Taipei. In Maurice Ravel’s famous music of “Bolero”, which symbolizes the people’s resistance, a street action drama was performed to manifest the 228 Massacre as a historical resistance of Taiwanese peoples to KMT’s tyrannical oppression. The first parade team, led by the PCT, suggesting its stance and social engagement as well as an appeal to transitional justice in current Taiwan’s democratic movement.

Amid the streets, four representatives read the 228‧0 Action Statement in four mother tongues, including Hakka, Taiwanese, Chinese and Truku respectively. While he read out the statement, Rev Nanang Tadaw, pastor of the Truku presbytery, remarked “the 228 Massacre is not only a historical event, but also extended to a series of horrendous political murders in Taiwan, including the cold-blooded murders of Lawyer Lin Yi-hsiung’s mother and twin daughters(1980), the brutal lynchings to death of Dr Chen Wen-cheng(1981), a reckless raid leading to Mr Nylon Cheng’s self-immolation to protest KMT regime (1989) and etc, which masterminds are still running at large up to date.”

Rev Nanang Tadaw criticized, even now Taiwan has already transformed into a democratic country, some pro-China parties still took advantages of democracy’s legal loopholes to obstruct citizens’ legal rights and destroy Taiwan’s constitutional foundation. “Only the dark remembered can Taiwan march forward in the light,” he remarked.

At the press conference, Ms Kao Chiao, a youth representative of the “Warm Snake Parent-Participation Education Group” of APPET, said that in the past she always felt the history of 228 Massacre was a historical event so far away. “As a matter of fact, echoes of 228 Massacre still speak to us, “ she said, after she bumped into a trove of publications, exhibitions and even frequent dialogues with the families of the 228 Massacre victims to learn the KMT’s heinous oppression and exploitation of Taiwan society. “Today, we can embrace the democracy in Taiwan was actually paid by lives and persecutions by innumerable predecessors in their pursuits for freedom,” she said.

Ms Kao also expressed her puzzle: why KMT refuses to take up its responsibility on transitional justice? She pointed out that KMT has always arrogantly reiterated its cliche that “the aftermath 228 Massacre has been completely solved, and any mention of it just only split the country”, but it has never intended to open its party’s archives to the public, condemn the perpetrators and compensate for the victims, “Even worse, KMT showed alarming signs to be comply with the Chinese Communist to betray Taiwan in recent years,” she remarked.

Ms Kay indicated that the youth generation had not experienced KMT’s authoritarian rulings under martial laws, though, they would better understand why Taiwan society strived hard for democracy and freedom if some historical studies could be done. “Taiwan still need to commemorate the 228 Massacre today,” Ms Kao said, “because what Taiwan society wants is never just a lip-service from KMT, but an full-fledged transitional justice erected from the authoritarian ashes!”

Prof Chou Wan-yao, a scholar in Taiwan history, gave a speech at the end of the press conference, discussing the current crisis in Taiwan congress and warning the memory of 228 Massacre seems gradually marginalized and even might be wiped out completely in a near future. “If Taiwan society cannot stand up for her sovereignty and democracy, tragic mistakes of past history may be repeated again,” she expressed her worry in the press brief.

“Now Taiwan is in crisis! It is worthy to consider whether the democratic mechanism is enough to protect our country, or how shall a sovereign country like us to defend the democratic constitution. The 228 Massacre is not only a historical event, but also indispensably related to the existential survival of Taiwan. Whether Taiwan’s democracy can defeat anti-democratic forces is a major challenge in this country”, she remarked.

“The anniversary of the 228 Massacre has been marginalized and even de-contextualized,” Prof Chou criticized, “especially when Taiwan society pays less and less attention to remember the 228 event, allowing the 228 anniversary becomes a national holiday for tourism and entertainment.” “Seeing the media filled with news of traffic-jams and tourism infos rather than historical reflection,” she worried that the 228 Massacre would no longer a collective memory worthy to be named as history, but a forgotten past.

Prof Chou lamented, “many young people have never even heard of the big names of Taiwan democratic dissidents such as Lin Yi-Hsiung or Kang Ning-hsiang.” She believed that the 228 Massacre and the White Terror in 1950s should be included as an important part of Taiwan’s history textbooks for citizen education, so that the Taiwanese can understand and learn what an injustice is and how our respectable forebears sacrificed their freedom and even lives for democracy and freedom in the past.

Finally Prof Chou pleaded, “most existing witnesses of 228 Massacre are very old now, and no one may be able to tell their devastating stories to the public in future. And, if Taiwan lacks its own historical wisdom and insight, the 228 Massacre event will be marginalized and eventually buried in archives. If we can’t remember the lessons of 228 Massacre, tragic history will repeat again and become more cruel to us.” She called on Taiwan society to defend the memory of history and strive for democracy and freedom to ensure that Taiwan will never fall into iron fists of any authoritarian dictator.

Translated by Peter Wolfe