Taiwan to commemorate 228 Incident with ceremonies, exhibitions

2019/03/04

More than 30 ceremonies, concerts and exhibitions commemorating victims of the February 28 Incident of 1947 will take place on the anniversary of the tragedy and throughout March, according to the Memorial Foundation of 228.
 
 At the national memorial Feb. 28 at 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei City, President Tsai Ing-wen will issue certificates of exoneration to the family members of four victims. The ceremony will also spotlight the progress of efforts to foster reconciliation, restore historical truths and deepen public understanding of the incident, the foundation said.
 
 An event featuring musical performances, a market and talks on related topics will be held the same day on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. Other commemoration activities include an exhibition running through July 28 at the National 228 Memorial Museum highlighting human rights abuses that occurred near train stations; concerts in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City March 6 and 9; and a memorial ceremony March 9 in the central county of Nantou.
 
 Foundation Chairman Hsueh Hua-yuan said that the Taipei-based nonprofit has been working with the National Human Rights Museum and Transitional Justice Commission on a detailed investigation of the incident. The final report attributing responsibility and revealing historic facts is set to be published in traditional Chinese and English by the middle of this year, he added.
 
 The foundation is also collecting oral accounts from victims’ family members and compiling the names of more than 2,000 people whose rights were violated.
 
 The February 28 Incident of 1947 occurred when protesters demanded Gov. Chen Yi enact reforms. When these went unmet, people around Taiwan demonstrated, prompting Chen to call for military reinforcements from China who killed many during the crackdown.
 
 Established in 1995, the government-backed memorial foundation oversees compensation and reconciliation programs and operates the National 228 Memorial Museum in Taipei.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)