Taiwan Church News 3867 Edition 6 ~ 12 April, 2026 Weekly Topical Gi-Kong Church Unveiled by President Lai as First Site of Transitional Justice Reported by Lin Yi-ying from Taipei In the afternoon on April 5, which is the 44th anniversary of the establishment of Gi-Kong Church of Chi-Hsin Presbytery, an open ceremony of “The first historical site of transitional justice” was unveiled at this heart-breaking residential house of former Lawyer Lin Yi-hsiong. In his speech, President Lai Ching-de emphasized “real peace is never earned by bowing down or making concessions to dictators. The best defense of Taiwan is to learn our history with acute insights and forge our resilience via a shared memory.” “The heinous Lin family murders 46 years ago manifests the most barbarous violation of human rights under the authoritarian rulings of KMT government in Taiwan. The brutal murders has recently been adapted into a controversial movie, causing lots of anxiety in Taiwan society, but it has also made many people take the initiative to walk into Gi-Kong Church to learn Taiwan history in-depth again.” “The government will work with people to preserve more historical sites reminiscent of human rights violation, as well as memorial sites required to be remembered upon transitional justice during the period of KMT authoritarian rulings, and conduct public dialogue through lectures, exhibitions and other activities to rally more civilian power to defend Taiwan’s democracy.” “The more historical truth is understood, the less people could be manipulated. The more a shared memory becomes clear, the less people could be divided. The more Taiwan is united, the less a China annex could be done,” said President Lai. Mr Li Yuan, Minister of Culture, said that “in addition to the open ceremony, the Ministry of Culture also shoots documentary for Gi-Kong Church, hoping to make its debut at the Human Rights Film Festivals at home and around the world.” He emphasized “history will never go away, and this very site is still telling stories about the Taiwanese pursuit of freedom, democracy and human rights.” Instead of being trapped in a vicious circle of hatred, he called on the public to stick upon love and non-violence, and transform our grieves into responsibility to move Taiwan forward. Rev Wang Chong-ren, vice moderator of the PCT General Assembly, said that the event of turning the house of Lin family murders into a church, shedding the light of God shining into the darkness, suggests the PCT’s long-term care and root-in support for freedom, democracy, human rights and transitional justice in Taiwan. Rev Chen Hsin-liang, general secretary of the PCT General Assembly, hoped the Gi-Kong Church, being the first site of transitional justice, can become a call to next generations: carrying on in a spirit of “Burnt but not destroyed” to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. Rev Wang Ming-zer, pastor of Gi-Kong Church, said “the significance of Gi-Kong church as a site of transitional justice is that those who want to come here to learn about the agonizing case of Lin family murders can continue to remember this history and spread the love, justice and peace of Christ through Taiwan society.” As Gi-Kong Church is the first transitional justice site applied by citizens and approved by Taiwan government, its name plate is officially unveiled after the prayer of Rev Hsu Cheng-dao, the third pastor of Gi-Kong Church, and jointly attended by many renown guests, including: Mr Chen Jun-hong, representative of Chi-Lin Foundation; Rev Chen Fu-chu; Elder Hsu Ching-fuh; Elder Tian Meng-hsu; President Lai; Minister Li Yuan; Mr Lin Ming-hsin, Minister without portfolio of the Executive Yuan, and Ms Yang Tsui, former chairwoman of Transitional Justice Commission. Translated by Peter Wolfe |