President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of July 15 attended a memorial ceremony and concert in memory of the victims of the period of White Terror. The president also issued certificates to the families of the victims to restore the good names of those who were subjected to the terror. The president, on behalf of the government, expressed his most heartfelt apologies and condolences to the White Terror victims and their families. At the same time, he reiterated the government's determination to continue protecting human rights and reforming its judicial system.
The president said that this marks his third July 15th in office. This is a special day, as it was on this date that the government declared an end to martial law in 1987. The ROC government moved to Taiwan in 1949 amidst civil war between the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and the Communist Party. The times were treacherous, which prompted the government to declare martial law, and several government agencies abused their authority during investigations and trials of so-called communist spies or traitors. Many innocent people were wrongly accused of crimes and ended up losing their lives, freedom, or health. The president said that as a member of the government and the ruling party, it is incumbent upon him to admit to victims and their families that wrongs were done, and to make apologies.
President Ma further noted that martial law was lifted in 1987 and 10 years later in 1997 the Legislative Yuan passed legislation mandating compensation for those falsely convicted as traitors and spies during the martial law period. In addition, a compensation foundation was established to handle these affairs. According to statistics, as of June 30, 2010, compensation has been paid out in 7,118 cases, with 785 of those for persons who were executed. This number comprises 11% of all of the compensation cases so far. Hoklo people account for 4,070 cases (57%), while post-war immigrants from mainland China comprise 3,047 cases (43%). Some of those compensated were members of the Kuomintang. Indeed, even included among the victims were General Li Yu-tang, recipient of the Order of Blue Sky and White Sun with Grand Cordon (for outstanding contributions to national defense), and his wife. It is thus clear, said the president, how fearsome the White Terror was, and how its impact cut across the boundaries of group identity and party affiliation.
President Ma stated that he has a background in law and that he places the utmost importance on democracy and rule of law. The president said he is deeply aware that human rights and the rule of law often get trampled during wars. He said that even the United States, which has quite high human rights standards, has infringed upon human rights in times of war. Consequently, both domestic and foreign history show that these calamities and wrongdoing all stem from war, he said. The president cited a saying in the West, "All is fair in love and war," a realization that he himself came to long ago. The only way to ensure once and for all that similar events will not recur is to avoid the outbreak of war in the first place, he remarked.
The president stated that this is the reason he has long advocated reconciliation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He said that in the past he did not have the opportunity to translate his personal views into policy on this issue. However, since becoming president, he has actively promoted the resumption of cross-strait dialogue that had been stalled for 60 years. This has enabled both sides to gradually resolve their differences through face-to-face communications. President Ma said this method requires various conditions and an appropriate climate. To be specific, he said, we must act in accordance with the constitution of the ROC and observe the principle of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force." In addition, the government also embraces the stance of "putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people," and continues to abide by the 1992 Consensus, whereby each party adheres to the principle of one China, interpreted separately by both sides. The overarching objective of these approaches is to get the two sides to face reality, build mutual trust, shelve disputes, and pursue win-win solutions.
The president pointed out that his administration has worked for the past two years to improve cross-strait relations, and its efforts have successfully changed Taiwan's international image from "troublemaker" to "peacemaker." At the same time, the government continues to pursue "flexible diplomacy," and is transforming Taiwan into an international “provider of humanitarian assistance.” Moreover, Taiwan and mainland China recently signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), and even though this agreement only reduces tariffs on cross-strait trade, it will bring Taiwan many business opportunities and turn Taiwan into a "provider of business opportunities." All of these measures, he said, have enabled Taiwan to win respect and applause in the international community.
President Ma said he hopes the people of Taiwan will continue to work in this direction so that the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a battlefield, but rather a corridor of peace and prosperity. He said he firmly believes that this is the only way in which we can make amends to the people who lost their lives, freedom, and health in the White Terror period of the 1950s. The president stressed that we hope the people on either side of the Taiwan Strait will in the future use peaceful means to resolve disputes. Both sides should make friends and do business, and avoid engaging in any non-peaceful activity, he stated.
President Ma remarked that the government is making every effort to protect human rights and carry out judicial reform. As a result, a number of non-government organizations throughout the world have rated Taiwan's level of freedom and human rights on a par with those of many advanced nations. Even so, he said, we must realize that human rights do not just fall from the sky. We need to protect human rights with great vigilance if we are to make the protection of human rights part of our lives.
President Ma said that in addition to commemorating this important day in history when martial law was lifted in Taiwan, he has already asked Premier Wu Den-yih to formulate a plan to address the issues raised by the families and representatives of victims of the White Terror, namely, the future development of the compensation foundation, and the looming expiration of the deadline for filing compensation cases. He said that the government cannot be lax in restoring the good names of the victims and providing compensation to their families. President Ma said that this regrettable period cannot be erased from our history, and all we can do now is to reduce the harm and prevent similar events from happening again in the future. He said that as the president of the ROC, he will make every effort to ensure that this work is carried out, because "we've already come this far, so things are sure to keep getting better and better." He said he is fully confident that the government will not flag for a moment in its commitment to build a society based on freedom, democracy and human rights.