Taiwan will pay tribute
to victims of 1947 massacre

Agence France—Presse

TAIPEI — Taiwan on Wednesday will honour thousands of people killed 60 years ago when Chinese nationalist troops carried out a bloody crackdown on rioting islanders, a massacre that went unrecognized for decades.

President Chen Shui — bian, who has called for nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek to stand trial posthumously for his alleged role in the "February 28 incident", will preside over commemorations in a memorial park in the capital.

Hundreds of relatives of the dead — a toll estimated at between 18,000 and 28,000 – will attend the ceremony. Flags will fly at half — mast at public buildings, and Chen will unveil a new memorial hall dedicated to the victims.

The anniversary will also provide independence — minded Taiwanese with an opportunity to voice their deep resentment for the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) party, with thousands expected to sing on the square in front of Chen's office.

"We want to use the chorus to voice our love for the land and our keen aspiration of establishing a Taiwanese republic," Huang Ming-ta, a spokesman for the event organizers, told AFP.

The 1947 riots erupted after a KMT inspector beat a female vendor in Taipei for selling untaxed cigarettes.

Chiang, who at the time was China's nationalist leader, ordered nationalist forces from the mainland to put an end to the riots spreading across Taiwan, and a killing spree ensued.

Chiang fled to Taiwan in 1949 after his forces lost a civil war to Chinese communist forces, led by Mao Zedong.

The massacre remained taboo for decades under Chiang's rule.

It was not until 1995 that then president Lee Teng-hui made the first official apology, and parliament agreed on compensation and made February 28 a national holiday.

The February 28 anniversary has only been officially observed since 1998.

On Monday, Chen — who ended the KMT's 51-year grip on power when he was elected in 2000 — said those responsible for the 1947 killings, including Chiang, "should face justice and stand trial".

A report by a government — funded foundation a year ago charged that Chiang "should shoulder greatest responsibility" for the killings — the first time he was officially held responsible for the carnage.

Chiang died in 1975 after ruling the island for 26 years. His son, Chiang Ching-kuo, became president in 1978 and died in 1988.

Chen's strongly worded remarks drew fire from KMT politicians, who said he was using the occasion to whip up anti-Chinese sentiment ahead of parliamentary polls later this year, and the 2008 presidential election.

"As the national leader, Chen should help heal historical wounds, rather than applying salt on them by whipping up hatred among different ethnic groups," KMT legislator Fei Hung—tai told AFP.

But Chen insisted that "only when the truth of the massacre is clarified can justice be brought to the victims and their families ... and forgiveness be possible".
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