New book highlights foreign accounts of February 28 Incident

2018/03/01

A new book containing translated foreign documents on the February 28 Incident of 1947 will help support government efforts to promote transitional justice by fostering greater understanding of the tragedy, according to Kaohsiung Museum of History Feb. 26.
 
 The Chinese-language work was edited and published by the museum based in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City and Taipei City-headquartered Academia Historica, the nation’s foremost historical research institution. It comprises a series of official reports and news articles dating from 1944 to 1949 retrieved from three overseas institutions: National Archives of Australia, National Archives and Records Administration of the U.S. and U.N. Archives and Records Management Section.
 
 Spanning 312 pages, the book is divided into four parts—U.S. military plans and operations on Taiwan during World War II; Taiwan’s social environment after the conflict; news reports on the incident; and records compiled in its aftermath.
 
 According to Yin Li, director-general of Bureau of Cultural Affairs under Kaohsiung City Government, the publication will serve as an important resource for local scholars and help further government efforts to restore historical truths.
 
 Chief editor Tu Cheng-yu said the book offers fresh materials and perspectives for 228 Incident researchers. Major components of the anthology include foreign accounts of the death toll, public petitions organized during the period and interviews with Taiwan people conducted before the incident, he added.
 
 According to the Kaohsiung museum, possible social factors leading to the tragedy are spotlighted through monitoring reports on Taiwan by U.S. officials. The book also features a brief analysis of the archival materials by Su Yao-tsung, a professor at Providence University in central Taiwan’s Taichung City.
 
 The February 28 Incident of 1947 occurred when protesters demanded that Gov. Chen Yi enact reforms. When the demands went unmet, people throughout the island rioted against the government. Military reinforcements dispatched from mainland China killed many while restoring order.
 
 Memorial activities will be staged throughout Taiwan Feb. 28, a national holiday commemorating victims of the incident. These include exhibitions, movie screenings, musical performances and seminars.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=10&post=130048)