The transition from the impossibility of finding the truth about or discussing the 228 Incident for many years to the recovery of the event's history and its memorialization today may be called the truest reflection of Taiwanese democratic development, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said today while commemorating 228 Peace Memorial Day at Hualien County's peace plaza.
The 228 Incident began on February 28, 1947, when a woman in Taipei was beaten by police while resisting arrest for selling bootlegged cigarettes, and a bystander was shot dead during the commotion. Resultant tensions between civilians outraged by corruption, controversial expropriation of property, inflation, outbreaks of contagious diseases and shortages of essential commodities and ROC administrators boiled over, and riots broke out throughout the island. In the succeeding weeks of turmoil, military reinforcements dispatched from the Chinese mainland killed thousands of people in Taiwan. Discussion or commemoration of the event was then officially forbidden until after martial law was lifted in 1987.
Jiang called the violence one of the biggest tragedies in Taiwanese history and remarked that it led to long-standing social divisions and unrest.
From that time until today, "We have been taught by several valuable experiences," he said. "These lessons include that the government should not abuse its power or suppress the free hearts and voices of citizens; that while there are differences between ethnic groups, we should all learn mutual tolerance and peaceful coexistence; and that the guilty should bear responsibility for their crimes, but we must also learn to forgive heartless actions.
"Most importantly, we must learn how to keep moving forward despite carrying painful memories, and without forgetting that stage of history. Hence, on this day every year, the government holds solemn ceremonies to remind the public of the history and meaning of 228. Since President Ma took office, he has assured citizens again and again that he will absolutely not allow such an incident to happen once more."
The premier thanked the Memorial Foundation of 228 for managing the important task of compensating victims' families, saying it not only allows redress and reparations for those affected but also constantly teaches society and posterity the correct way to regard this unhappy historical truth.