Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday he regrets an opposition boycott of the establishment of a national human rights commission and a human rights education hall.
Chen made the remarks while addressing the opening of a seminar on Taiwan's democratic development in the 20th Century as part of a research program on the history of the Republic of China organized by Academia Historica.
Describing the establishment of a national human rights commission and education hall as critical to the promotion of democracy and human rights, Chen said he hopes the opposition parties will pass long-delayed legislation to pave the way for the creation of the two bodies.
Chen continued that substantiating democracy and human rights concepts and instilling them in the general public are two of Taiwan's most urgent tasks. "We must be more tolerant and open-minded enough to let different historical views and experiences integrate into Taiwan's mainstream culture, " Chen said, adding that increased inclusiveness would help enrich Taiwan's cultural diversity and facilitate the development of a pluralistic democratic lifestyle.
Since assuming the presidency in May 2000, Chen said he has made human rights promotion a priority. In addition to probing the truth of major human rights suppression incidents over the past five decades, such as the 2-28 Incident of 1947, the White Terror of the 1950s and the Formosa Magazine Incident of 1979, Chen said his administration has also made many efforts to compensate victims or their families of those tragic events and to clear their names.
Moreover, Chen went on, his administration has been preparing for the establishment of a national human rights commission and a memorial hall to promote human rights education and make Taiwan a mature democracy.
Chen lauded Academia Historica for its efforts in the past few years to collect historical data and publish a number of books on Taiwan's democratic development. "Thanks to its efforts, some long-ignored or forbidden historical events have received due attention and the frontiers of academic research have been expanded," Chen added.