President Tsai pledges to promote transitional justice

2018/03/02

President Tsai Ing-wen said Feb. 28 that the government will continue its efforts to promote transitional justice in line with recently passed legislation aimed at restoring historical truths, fostering reconciliation and addressing past injustices.
 
 Under the transitional justice law, an ad hoc committee will be set up to recover and declassify political archives relating to the February 28 Incident of 1947, as well as promote reconciliation and redress judicial wrongs, Tsai said. Only by looking squarely at this painful chapter of the nation’s history and taking practical measures to ensure transitional justice can the pain of this wound be eased, the president added.
 
 The 228 Incident 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.
 
 This year marks the 71st anniversary of the tragedy, however, a number of truths on the incident have yet to be uncovered, Tsai said, citing the recent discovery of documents containing the names of 1,000 or more 228 victims. The documents were identified via a joint effort between government agencies and local foundations.
 
 According to Tsai, a detailed national report on transitional justice efforts will be published by the committee, revealing historical facts and attributing responsibility. The report will also include a review of Taiwan’s authoritarian past, she added.
 
 The president made the remarks at an annual event commemorating victims of the incident at 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei City. She also issued certificates of restored reputation to four victims and their family members.
 
 Tsai said that she looks forward to seeing more films and TV dramas address the subject of transitional justice. Such productions will help raise international awareness of Taiwan’s commitment to upholding the values of democracy, freedom and human rights, she said.
 
 Reflecting society’s desire to embrace reconciliation and commemorate the 228 victims, a series of other memorial activities also took place throughout Taiwan the same day. These included exhibitions, movie screenings, music performances and seminars.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=130166)