On the morning of December 10, President Ma Ying-jeou visited the White Dove Plaza at the Jing-mei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park to attend the opening ceremony for activities marking Human Rights Day 2012. Besides reiterating that the government will continue to face the facts of history with empathy and humility while working to heal the pain and suffering of individuals and their families who were politically persecuted, the president called on the nation's people to show mutual respect and tolerance so that human rights in Taiwan will continue to improve.
In remarks, the president stated that since serving as minister of justice in 1993 he has attached the utmost importance to human rights. The president explained that two years ago he attended the opening ceremonies of a special exhibit on the Jingmei Detention Center and the White Terror, and today marks the fourth time he has visited the Jing-mei Human Rights Memorial and Cultural Park. Furthermore, last year the Ministry of Culture [then the Council for Cultural Affairs] established the National Human Rights Museum preparatory office. These actions, the president remarked, show that the government is willing to face history and that its emphasis on human rights is not just a slogan. President Ma noted that he will absolutely make good on his pledges.
The president stated that many injustices due to false and erroneous cases occurred during the 38-year martial law era (1949-1987), and it resulted in the imprisonment of many of the nation's brightest young people, who were full of ideals and had their best days ahead of them. President Ma said that while each victim encountered a different set of circumstances, all shared in the suffering of that period in history. The president said he always feels mortified upon hearing stories of what these individuals went through, and realizes that no number of apologies is sufficient to compensate for the wrongs committed, but activities to commemorate Human Rights Day remind us that we must learn from the mistakes of history, avoid repeating them, and make sure that future generations understand this period of history so that they will appreciate the human rights safeguards that now exist. These things must be done, he added, so that the ideals and sacrifices of the victims will not have been in vain.
President Ma furthermore stated that the government in recent years has disbursed about NT$19.4 billion of compensation via the Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts on Sedition and Communist Espionage Cases during the Martial Law Period (戒嚴時期不當叛亂暨匪諜審判案件補償基金會). In addition, 3,963 certificates have been issued to restore the reputations of persons who were unfairly victimized, while the National Archives Administration has returned the wills of 93 victims to their families. President Ma acknowledged that these figures in no way offset the losses suffered by the victims and their families, but he said that the only responsible thing we can do now is express empathy and face the facts of history with humility.
President Ma also responded to differing viewpoints expressed by some victims and their families who were in attendance. He explained that mutual respect and tolerance are the most important aspects of human rights, democracy, freedom, and rule of law. If the government continues to fall short in its work to promote freedom and ensure human rights, he remarked, then it will be willing to critically reassess and make improvements. At the same time, however, he said he hopes that everyone will show tolerance and mutual respect, as these are the most important preconditions for further development of human rights here. Failure to achieve these preconditions, the president noted, will make it difficult to truly implement human rights and Taiwan will not become a country that is based on human rights. Looking ahead to the future, the president said, he hopes that Taiwan will become a fairer and freer society and that everyone's human rights will be fully guaranteed under the law.
After completing his remarks, the president presented certificates of appreciation to Yan Shihong (顏世鴻), Lü-Hong Shuming (呂洪淑明) (the widow of Lü Guomin (呂國民), Liu Chendan (劉辰旦), Huang Guanghai (黃廣海), Tu Binglang (涂炳榔), and Chen Menghe (陳孟和), all of whom donated historical artifacts associated with victims and their families. President Ma was accompanied by Minister of Culture Lung Yingtai (龍應台) and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Hsiung Kuang-hua (熊光華) in touring the exhibit and viewing the donated paintings, letters, and manuscripts.
Among those attending the ceremony were Chairman Lin Junq-tzer (林政則) (chairman of the Compensation Foundation for Improper Verdicts on Sedition and Communist Espionage Cases during the Martial Law Period) and Executive Director Liao Ji-bin (廖繼斌) of the 228 Memorial Foundation.