Over a hundred survivors and relatives of late political victims from across Taiwan attended a memorial hosted by the National Human Rights Museum at the Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park on March 16 to remember their family members and friends who were persecuted under martial law during the reign of White Terror.
This marks the sixth year that the museum has held a White Terror memorial event ahead of the Qingming Festival, a traditional day for visiting ancestral graves in early April. In attendance were survivors, relatives, and representatives of associations that commemorate the victims of White Terror and the February 28 Incident.
The memorial began at 10.30am with a moment of silence. In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Culture Hsiao Tsung-huang said that his heart was filled with gratitude for the sacrifice of these forbearers. "The names of over 7,000 victims are inscribed on this monument, eluding to how over 7,000 families were fragmented by institutional violence and how such collective trauma can never be obliterated from Taiwanese society," he mourned.
Deputy Minister Hsiao stressed that society should never turn a blind eye to the history of suffering under that authoritarian rule. "By commemorating the victims, we hope that younger generations will be able to understand their sacrifice and become inspired by their perseverance to safeguard Taiwan's human rights with more concrete action," he stated.
National Human Rights Museum Director Chen Chun-hung (陳俊宏) pointed out that the museum is working with relevant organizations and the Transitional Justice Commission (促進轉型正義委員會) to expand the scope of service extended to families of elderly survivors and relatives of late political victims. In cooperation with local social welfare agencies, future assistance will include regular visitations to their residences, he added.
The National Human Rights Museum will also take the initiative in inviting the second- and third-generation members of such families to join the museum's activities and learn more about human rights and cultural equality through dialogue, education, and the arts, said Chen.
Read the original press release here.