President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of July 15 proceeded to Jieshou Park in downturn Taipei to attend ceremonies to commemorate the victims of the martial law era (1949-1987). July 15 marked the 25th anniversary of the ROC's lifting of martial law. The president personally presented documents to the families of three victims – Li Shen (李伸), Zhang Wen-cai (張文彩), and Ren Xian-qun (任顯群) – that restored their good names. During the ceremony, President Ma also expressed his deepest apologies to the families of the victims, while also reiterating that he will continue to improve relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to prevent the outbreak of war and to ensure the safety of the people of the ROC and their property.
The president remarked that some of the letters composed by victims of the martial law era have been included in the nation's archives. In order that the families of these victims can obtain the letters written by their loved ones, the National Archives Administration has already thoroughly checked 747 pages of related documents and completed the delivery of 65 personal letters to their families before June 15. The president added that at present, 47 more applications have been accepted, and 18 are being examined. President Ma commented that in some cases it has been difficult to contact the families of the victims. He said that there are still over 3,000 instances of persons receiving unfair judgments during the martial law era and the applications on their behalf for government compensation have yet to be filed. With this in mind, the president said that the government has amended the bylaws of the Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts on Sedition and Communist Espionage Cases during the Martial Law Period to extend the period in which the families of victims can file for compensation by two years.
The president stated that over the past 20 years, he has personally been involved in the legislation related to the 228 Incident and the White Terror, as well as work related to providing compensation to the victims and their families and restoring the good names of individuals who were unfairly treated during those periods. He pointed out that when he was mayor of Taipei City, he also was involved in the planning and construction of the Memorial to the Victims of the White Terror, which was completed in 2008.
President Ma emphasized that any infringement on human rights by the government is undoubtedly more serious than such action by any group or individual. Consequently, it is important for the government to thoroughly reflect on the events that took place and to provide compensation to those who suffered as a result. This is especially the case since the party presently in power is the same one that was in power during the martial law era. The president noted that while throughout history there have of course been many instances of governments infringing on human rights, it is relatively uncommon to see the same political party that was in power at the time of the infringement to be willing to establish a system later to restore the good names of the victims, while at the same time reflecting and admitting wrong in a heartfelt manner and expressing regret to the victims and their families. President Ma added that all of these should be attributable to the strength of freedom and democracy that has taken root here.
The president stated that five years ago he was the subject of judicial proceedings. At the time, he said, the ROC had already become a political democracy and had an independent judiciary. As a result, he ultimately was declared innocent under the law, he said. This, however, was not the case for the victims of the martial law period. In light of this, the government must exhibit empathy towards the families of the victims and work to gradually seek their understanding, as well as making sure that similar events do not recur in the future, he said.
President Ma also mentioned an English saying, "All is fair in love and war." With respect to this, he said that war not only costs lives and property, but is also the biggest threat to human rights. Therefore, the government not only must create a strong national defense and protect the safety of the people, but even more importantly needs to do all possible to prevent war from breaking out.
President Ma emphasized that after he took office four years ago, he immediately began taking pro-active steps to reduce tension in the Taiwan Strait and that he has continued to strive for improved cross-strait relations. The initial stage of these efforts was to eliminate the possibility of war breaking out between the two sides, he said. The president also guaranteed that he will continue to strive during the rest of his days to maintain peace between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and work to avoid an outbreak of war, thereby best ensuring the interests of the people.
After completing his remarks, the president and the families of the victims observed one minute of silence to remember all of the victims of the martial law era. In addition, balloons in the shape of doves were released and a wreath was presented at the memorial in order to pay the highest respect to the victims of that period.
Among those attending the ceremonies were Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts on Sedition and Communist Espionage Cases during the Martial Law Period Chairman Lin Junq-tzer (林政則), National Archives Administration Director-General Chen Hsu-lin (陳旭琳), and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Hsiung Kuang-hua (熊光華).