Taipei, Aug. 2 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Saturday that clearing the names of the victims of the 2-28 Incident is a milestone for the nation as its democracy and human rights mature.
The president made the remarks when he presented rehabilitation certificates to each of the victims or the representatives of the victims of the 2-28 Incident in a ceremony held at the Presidential Office. The certificates were co-signed by Chen and Vice President Annette Lu. "The 2-28 Incident was the biggest wound of Taiwan history since World War II, " the president said. "The people of Taiwan wanted social justice and democratic reforms, but were relentlessly suppressed by the Nationalist government, resulting in heavy casualties of Taiwan elites and average civilians."
The Nationalist government, trying to cover its actions, labeled the incident a "mutiny," and the victims "mobsters," he added.
The president said that a rehabilitation certificate will not bring back past lives, but he was convinced that the incident was brought into the public consciousness only after the efforts of so many democratic forerunners.
After "scores of years of declassifying files and the investigation of oral historians, " the president said the 2-28 Incident is no longer just a "violent disturbance, " or described as "Communist China orchestrating mobsters, " but was "a protest against social injustice, a demand for democracy, and the advocacy of Taiwan people ruling Taiwan," which he said has become the "2-28 spirit" and an "asset of Taiwan's historical culture."
He stressed that to "right the wrongs, pursue historical truth and social justice is the root of a nation based on human rights, and the rehabilitation of names of the 2-28 Incident is the upholding of human rights, and a milestone for Taiwan."
He extended his apologies again to the victims and their relatives for their sufferings over the years, hoping that every one in Taiwan would "learn from the incident, and work toward making Taiwan a just, peaceful country with dignity."