Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

 
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home Editorials of Interest Jerome F. Keating's writings Taiwan Commemorates 2-28 When the KMT Began to Seriously Enforce its One-Party State

Taiwan Commemorates 2-28 When the KMT Began to Seriously Enforce its One-Party State

When WWII ended, Taiwan began to be denuded of everything from rice to steel to anything that could be used in the KMT's losing effort in China. But Taiwan's troubles are clearly marked by 2-28, er-er-ba, when the seething mistreatment boiled over with the striking of a street vendor selling contraband cigarettes and the shooting of an innocent protester. This brought about the upcoming Martial Law and White Terror in which over 30 thousand Taiwanese were killed and/or disappeared and thousands more would be imprisoned.

Under the hypocritical guise of being pro-democracy the KMT subsequently began its one party state that would last for near a half a century. The irony is that Nazi Germany and militaristic Japan were able to achieve democracy within a decade and with no persecution or jailing of individuals in contrast to the allegedly free Taiwan.

Even now, families of those who suffered are finally being allowed to access the files and find out what happened to many of their lost family members. But the current KMT government is charging them hundreds of US dollars just to get their files. Transitional justice has still not been served.


Source: Jerome F. Keating's writings



Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
Reddit! Del.icio.us! Mixx! Google! Live! Facebook! StumbleUpon! Facebook! Twitter!  
 

Newsflash

Despite a good cross-strait relationship, Taiwan in the short run is anxious about the upcoming elections and in the long run is concerned about the respective rise and decline of China and the US’ influence on the country, said Brad Glosserman, the executive director of the Pacific Forum at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank on foreign policy.

He added that all of Asia is beginning to worry that “the balance of power in the region is shifting in China’s favor.”

Glosserman said in his recent writings that while the possibility of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) coming to power again has some people worried, it does not mean that those who are worried favor the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).