Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

War crimes from 228 Massacre by Republic of China go unprosecuted in Taiwan

Michael Richardson

Sixty-five years ago the brutal beating of a female street vendor by the Republic of China’s monopoly tax agents triggered a spontaneous protest in Taipei the next day. On February 28, 1947, outraged islanders marched against the occupation ROC government only to be fired upon by the Chinese. The bloody response by the ROC led to an uprising against the occupation forces of Chiang Kai-shek.

The United States had imposed ROC troops on the people of Formosa, as Taiwan was commonly called, in October 1945 after the Japanese surrender in World War II. After installing Chiang’s soldiers the United States turned its attention to the growing Cold War threat of communism and left the island’s day-to-day administration to the forces of Chiang Kai-shek.

Academics condemn Hau comments on 228 Incident

Taipei Times

A number of academics yesterday rebutted recent comments by former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村), who questioned the number of people killed in the 228 Incident in 1947 tragedy.

In a forum hosted by the Taiwan Association of University Professors, association president Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) said Hau’s suggestion that only about 500 people were killed was not based on historical facts.

Taiwan's Past Still Not Reconciled or Honestly Dealt with by Some KMT

Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

Recent remarks by Hau Pei-tsun, a former premier of Taiwan and retired KMT military revealed the problems and divisions that still exist in Taiwan as Hau attempted to pooh-pooh the idea that some 10,000 Taiwanese were killed in the 2-28 Incident; and that another 20,000 more were killed in the 40 year White Terror period that followed as the KMT would rule Taiwan as a one-party state under Martial Law. The KMT came to Taiwan from 1945--1949, and allegedly in the name of democracy kept the island under Martial Law until 1987.

Victims blast Hau’s 228 denial

Taipei Times

Relatives of victims of the 228 Massacre yesterday criticized former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) over his comments that only about 500 people — instead of the commonly seen estimates of between 20,000 and 30,000 — were killed during the massacre, calling it a baseless rewriting of history.

“What Hau said in a letter to the editor [published in the Chinese-language United Daily News on Tuesday] about the 228 Massacre is unacceptable, because his statement was seriously biased, and was a complete betrayal of historic facts,” said Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋), who accompanied victims’ families in a news conference at the legislature.

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