TAIWAN: Pro-independence groups in Taipei march to commemorate "white terror crackdown"

Record ID: 212809

  • Title: TAIWAN: Pro-independence groups in Taipei march to commemorate "white terror crackdown"
  • Date: 1st March 2011
  • Summary: TAIPEI, TAIWAN (FEBRUARY 28, 2011) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS RALLYING ON STREET PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS AND MARCHING PROTESTERS WALKING WITH FLAGS AND BANNERS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WALKING SIGN READING, "TWO COUNTRIES ACROSS THE STRAITS, PEACE DEVELOPMENT" (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 46-YEAR-OLD BUSINESSMAN LIAO WEI-HSIANG SAYING: "The country compensated for the 2.28 incident, and family members did receive money. But that money did not come from Kuomintang, it came from all the tax payers. This is unfair and unjust. This event was caused by an external political power, and we want justice." (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 32-YEAR-OLD PUBLISHER WEN SHOU SAYING: "In our textbooks, this incident is one of the few that really belongs to the history of Taiwan. We need to reflect on the history to avoid the same mistakes in the future. I come here every year to show sympathy to the victims, and also reflect on Taiwan's history. I hope to see Taiwan's democracy improve." PEOPLE HOLDING BANNER READING, "PRESIDENT MA YING-JEOU AVOIDS RESPONSIBILITIES" PEOPLE MARCHING IN STREETS
  • Embargoed: 16th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Taiwan, Province of China
  • Country: Taiwan
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA9YYW9JMAWGGOHXGA17YWFXPJI
  • Story Text: Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Taipei on Monday (February 28) to commemorate victims of the "white terror crackdown" where thousands were killed six decades ago during Chiang Kai-shek's rule.
    Pro-independence groups and families of the victims gathered and held up banners, demanding more compensation from the ruling Nationalist (Kuomintang or KMT) party.
    The current KMT government is being criticised for bowing to Beijing in exchange for economic deals.
    The 2.28 incident refers to the day of Feb. 28, 1947 when a Taipei street dispute over the state's cigarette monopoly escalated to a chain of protests against Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist rule.
    As many as 20,000 people were killed in an ensuing crackdown.
    Protesters said that the government compensation was not enough, and the ruling KMT should pay for the cost.
    "The country compensated for the 2.28 incident, and family members did receive money. But that money did not come from Kuomintang, it came from all the tax payers. This is unfair and unjust. This event was caused by an external political power, and we want justice," said 46-year-old businessman Liao Wei-hsiang.
    Other protesters took the opportunity to remind the government not to make the same mistake again.
    "In our textbooks, this incident is one of the few that really belongs to the history of Taiwan. We need to reflect on the history to avoid the same mistakes in the future. I come here every year to show sympathy to the victims, and also reflect on Taiwan's history. I hope to see Taiwan's democracy to improve," said 32 year-old publisher, Wen Shou.
    The group marched towards the KMT headquarters early afternoon on Monday and picketed in front of the presidential palace.
    Other memorials events also took place around the island, including the opening ceremony of a museum in memory of the deadly incident.
    Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949 after his Nationalist party lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong's forces, and began the sometimes brutal one-party rule until his death in 1975.
    Beijing calls Taiwan an illegitimate breakaway province that must reunify with the mainland, and has never renounced the use of force to achieve such goal.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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