Taiwan: Premier VIncent Siew Leads A Memorial Ceremony Remembering The 1947 Massacre

Record ID: 3894

  • Title: Taiwan: Premier VIncent Siew Leads A Memorial Ceremony Remembering The 1947 Massacre
  • Date: 28th February 1997
  • Summary: Premier Vincen Siew led a memorial ceremony in the capital Taipei on February 28 1998 in remembrance the massacre on February 28, 1947, just before Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government was driven off the mainland by the Chinese Communists and made Taiwan island its last redoubt. The Nationalists sent troops to Taiwan to suppress rioting triggered by a monopoly bureau inspector who had beaten a woman selling cigarettes without permission. Residents chased and attacked the inspector, who, in panic, fired gunshots at his pursuers, and rioting erupted. Historic documents showed thousands were killed during the suppression, which left a legacy of deep mistrust towards the Nationalist government and between native Taiwanese and immigrants from the mainland. Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui -- Taiwan-born rather than an incomer -- in the early 1990s apologised to the public on behalf of the authorities. Since then monuments to the victims have been built and compensation provisions drafted. Siew said that although authorities had admitted its mistake, it could never bring back the lives that were lost. He asked all residents to unite to build up the island.
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  • Location: TAIWAN TAIPEI
  • Reuters ID: LDL001269JI8J
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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