NDC adds political files section to online archive

2017/12/04

A political files section of the online Archives Access Service was launched Dec. 1 by the National Archives Administration as part of government efforts to promote transitional justice, according to the National Development Council.
 
 The section comprises more than 100,000 images of documents created 30 or more years ago. These files come from the Office of the President, Control Yuan, Ministries of the Interior, Justice, Foreign Affairs and National Defense, National Security Bureau, the police departments of Taoyuan and Tainan cities in northern and southern Taiwan, respectively, as well as Academia Historica, the country’s foremost historical research institution, and state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp.
 
 Files in the section involve major events from the country’s history such as the February 28 Incident of 1947. The incident occurred when protesters demanded Gov. Chen Yi enact reforms. When these demands went unmet, people throughout the island rioted against the government, and military reinforcements dispatched from mainland China killed many while restoring order.
 
 The collection also contains documents on the Kaohsiung Incident of 1979, a pro-democracy demonstration staged in the southern Taiwan metropolis that resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of several prominent political figures, including former Republic of China (Taiwan) Vice President Annette Lu and current Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu.
 
 Also included are court verdicts, investigative reports and newspaper clippings about major cases of alleged espionage and treason, as well as files on the Zhongli Incident of 1977, which took place when a large number of protesters took to the streets and set a police station in Taoyuan ablaze following allegations of vote-rigging by the then ruling Kuomintang.
 
 As part of its commitment to fostering open government data, the NDC said it will continue to work with other agencies on expanding the collection. It expects to add roughly 100,000 images to the section annually over the next several years, the council added. 

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2,10&post=125882)