Sixty years on, nation marks 228 Incident

This article was written by Edwin Hsiao and published by the Taiwan Journal on March 9, 2007. It reports that the government and various civil organizations in Taiwan recently held a number of activities to mark the 60th anniversary of the February 28 Incident of 1947.

Taiwan's first 228 Monument was established in southern Taiwan's Chiayi County in 1989. Speaking at a memorial ceremony here, President Chen Shui-bian told the nation that all people in Taiwan should learn lessons from the incident, make Taiwan a country of justice and peace, and try to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

According to the president, although the government has made efforts to help victims and their families cope with their pain, there is still much more to be done. "All the Taiwanese people oppressed under the authoritarian regime were victims of the February 28 Incident. Sixty years is not the end but a new beginning. Future work will focus on addressing the responsibility of perpetrators," the president said. He stressed that only when the truth is known can fairness and justice be served.

The National 228 Memorial Museum was opened on February 28, 2007. It is hoped that the museum will help turn the tragic term "February 28 Incident" into a synonym for hope, forgiveness, reconciliation and consolidation. An exhibition, jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and the 228 Incident Memorial Foundation and titled "Division and Rebirth", is currently being held to commemorate the museum's founding.

The 228 Incident Memorial Foundation was established in 1995 in accordance with the Processing and Compensation Act for the February 28 Incident, which was signed into law by President Lee Teng-hui to deal with compensation and rehabilitation matters for victims of the incident. To enable the foundation to continue its functions, the government intends to allocate US$45 million over five years to help it finance sustainable operations. However, the foundation is scheduled to end its activities in 2010.

According to this article, other events were held to mark the sixty anniversary of the February 28 Incident. These include the International Conference on the 60th Anniversary of the 228 Massacre -- Human Rights and Transitional Justice", a "10,000 People Sing in Chorus" activity, and a rally. Bands from Taiwan, Japan, China, Britain, the United States and the Czech republic performed in a "Spirit of Taiwan -- With Justice We Cure the Nation" concert, as part of a social campaign that aims to pursue transitional justice in order to shed the negative legacy from the previous period of authoritarian rule.