President Chen Shui-bian attended a symposium on the publication of the Report on the Responsibility for the 228 Incident, stressing that uncovering the historical truth behind the incident was of the utmost importance.
The president was deeply touched by the publication of the report. "The attribution of responsibility of the 228 Incident was considered traumatic and was disavowed by former leaders; following the publication of this long-awaited report, the historical truth has finally appeared like the sun from behind the clouds," the president said. He applauded the publication of the report, saying, "This research report proves that through data collection and rational discussion, the public is able to better recognize and explore historical truth."
The president argued that historical truth was either covered up or purposely distorted by the former authoritarian Nationalist government, stating that many falsehoods that had the ring of truth had been presented, which had blurred the actual course of events. Referring to the idea held by some that such a massacre was a historical necessity during a time of regime change and that the 228 Incident was not the only one of its kind in the early days following World War II, meaning that the incident should be forgiven, the president declared, "The truth should not be blurred and put out of focus."
Due to Taiwan's democratic transformation, the president proclaimed, "We, the people of a democratic nation, must have the courage to face, and not deceive ourselves with a distorted perception of, Taiwan's history." However, in the process, some core issues, including having the courage to face the historical truth, have been neglected in the name of tolerance and compassion. "Our retrospection is not profound enough," the president reminded the public.
Like its predecessor, A Research Report on the 228 Incident, published by the Executive Yuan in 1992, the Report on the Responsibility for the 228 Incident also states that although much of the responsibility for the incident should be laid at the feet of late President Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Yi, Ke Yuan-feng, Peng Meng-chi, and other military personnel also share the blame. The president was glad to see that some other approaches such as those of civil and criminal law were mentioned in the report that could possibly lead to new research into the incident.
To forgive does not mean to forget, the president said and reassured the public, stating, "We can learn from our history and develop an identification with the land and the nation only through uncovering the historical truth." The president added that justice and forgiveness are not contradictory, and acknowledged that the publication of the report attests to the fact that Taiwan's democracy has now taken another step toward achieving social justice. True forgiveness must be based on historical truth, and "only true forgiveness can bring genuine harmony and peace," the president concluded.