Premier Mao Chi-kuo accompanied President Ma Ying-jeou today to a central government ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the 228 Incident, held at the 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei.
To commemorate this tragic and traumatic event in Taiwan's history, the government has not only built a national memorial hall but held commemorative ceremonies every year on February 28 in the hopes that everyone can learn from the incident, Mao said.
"I hope we can all treat each other with tolerance and compassion. People of different ethnicities, genders, values and religions should respect each other and live in harmony, working together for a democratic, free, liberal and prosperous Taiwan."
Although 68 years have passed since the 228 Incident took place, its impact is still far-reaching, Mao pointed out. In addition to causing suffering to victims and lifelong grief to their family members, the event came at a terrible cost for the whole country. The premier expressed his sincerest condolences to all the victims' family members on behalf of the government.
To honor the lives lost that year while reflecting on the lessons, the central government has handled the matter cautiously, publishing investigation reports and declassifying documents to restore the truth and shed greater light on the incident. The government also came together with the family members and community leaders to establish the 228 Memorial Foundation, which aims to compensate victims, comfort their families, probe the truth, educate society, while preserving and displaying articles related to the incident. Mao pledged that the government would do more to implement these efforts comprehensively.