On the 78th anniversary of the 228 Massacre, the struggle for historical memory still continues in Taiwan. Namely, efforts by the KMT to deny its past atrocities continue...
Some feverish media reporting in English, from pan-Blue-leaning media outlets or journalists, has honed in on the prospect of the 760 remaining statues of Chiang Kai-shek being removed from public spaces. This is claimed to be a move likely to provoke China, in that Chiang is seen as a figure associated with China–this despite, of course, that Chiang and the KMT came to Taiwan after their military defeat by the CCP in the Chinese Civil War...
On the 77th anniversary of the 228 Massacre, usually remembered as the start of the White Terror, it proves important to remember the long path that remains for transitional justice in Taiwan...
Around 100 individuals demonstrated in front of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial on October 30th, calling for the demolition of the memorial as part of efforts to realize transitional justice in Taiwan...
On the 76th anniversary of the 228 Massacre, commemorations were held to memorialize the event, traditionally viewed as the start of the decades-long White Terror that followed. This includes many events held annually, such as the Gongsheng Music Festival–the indie rock festival held on Ketagalan Boulevard organized by civil society groups–as well as commemorations by the government. Nevertheless, the anniversary of the 228 Massacre should point to how the pan-Blue camp in Taiwan has generally sought to avoid reckoning with its authoritarian past...
The Taiwan High Court ruled earlier this week that the diaries of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo from when they were president belong to the state, upholding a ruling by the Taipei District Court from June 2020. The decision from June 2020 also stated that the papers written by the Chiangs when they were not president belong to their heirs, and this was upheld in the most recent ruling. Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, of course, ruled over Taiwan during the authoritarian era, as father and son strongmen...
A memorial park to Chiang Ching-kuo in Taipei has become a contested political issue, due to the fact that the park memorializes a dictator. Plans for opening the park were condemned by the Transitional Justice Commission. Nevertheless, this did not prevent President Tsai Ing-wen from speaking at the park’s opening ceremonies, in an unusual move that provoked controversy among many members of the pan-Green camp...
On the 72nd anniversary of the 228 Massacre, it should be clear that a long path remains to be walked to realize transitional justice in Taiwan. This is visible in a number of recent incidents...
