Taipei Times /April 20, 2007
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Speaking out aids healing, Tutu tells 228 families
SUFFERING: Visiting Machangding Memorial Park yesterday, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate
said that facing the truth is a way of dealing with it
By Jewel Huang
STAFF REPORTER
"I hope [the 228 victims] know that their unfortunate experiences have brought
democracy, human rights and freedom to today's Taiwan."--- Desmond Tutu, former
anti-apartheid campaigner
Telling others about their traumatic experiences is a healing process for the families of
victims of the 228 Incident, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu said yesterday.
Tutu, the former primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, made the
remarks when visiting Machangding Memorial Park and 228 Memorial Hall in Taipei
yesterday with Alexander Boraine, founding president of the International Center for
Transitional Justice.
The 228 Incident was an uprising
against the Chinese Nationalist Party
(KMT) administration under dictator
Chiang Kai-shek that began on Feb. 27,
1947, followed by a bloody crackdown
resulting in the deaths of tens of
thousands of civilians.
Machangding Memorial Park is where
the KMT executed political prisoners
during the White Terror era in the 1950s.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu looks at the
portraits of victims of the 228 Incident at the 228
Memorial Hall in Taipei yesterday.
Tutu is visiting the country at the invitation of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
When meeting the family members of the 288 victims, Tutu said that he had not come
to Taiwan to educate people on how to solve problems caused by the tragedy. He said
he wanted to hear stories from the incident and advised that facing the truth humbly
Taipei Times /April 20, 2007
2
could be a way of dealing with it.
Establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was one way that South Africa
was able to cope with its racial persecution, he said. Understanding a tragic past can
help people face trauma, he added.
"I think it is good therapy for the family members to tell their stories. And finding out
the truth from those stories is a key to heal the wound," Tutu said, adding that the
government has the responsibility of finding the truth, which is an essential element of
reconciliation and forgiveness.
Tutu said that he has seen many South Africans who have suffered from apartheid that
are filled with anger, wanting to take revenge. But the sufferers in Taiwan look genial
and peaceful.
"I hope [the 228 victims] know that their unfortunate experiences have brought
democracy, human rights and freedom to today's Taiwan," he said.
Boraine said that Taiwan and South Africa have similar tragic histories, but they both
have just and peaceful voices. He also stressed that pursuing truth can bring hope to
people, although it is not an easy path.
"Truth is just like herbal medicine. It tastes bitter but it can heal the past," Boraine
said.
Last night, Tutu met former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin
I-hsiung at the Gikong Church.
Lin's mother and twin daughters were murdered on Feb. 28, 1980, while he was in jail
for his involvement in the Kaohsiung Incident in December 1979, a pro-human rights
rally that turned violent. The murders remain unsolved.
Time to say no to US' `one China'
By Michael Lin
Taipei Times /April 20, 2007
3
The US government has made it clear that it will not back Taiwan's plan to apply for
WHO membership under the name "Taiwan." On the diplomatic front, the major
obstacle facing Taiwan is the US' adherence to the "one China" policy. Unfortunately,
during the recent televised debate between the four Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) presidential hopefuls, none of them pointed out how inappropriate the "one
China" policy is or came up with a clear and comprehensive diplomatic strategy for
Taiwan to gain international recognition.
I believe that Taiwan's diplomatic strategy towards the US should stress its core
values and adhere to the principles of reciprocity and coexistence in urging the US to
revise its outdated "one China" policy, while letting the US understand that whatever
Taiwan does will benefit the US.
Taiwan should begin by accentuating its democratic achievements and its geopolitical
and economic strategic value.
Taiwan and China share a linguistic and cultural background. Taiwan's democratic
experience is the most important example for leading China down the path to
democracy. As democracy deepens, the Taiwanese people are developing an
increasingly strong awareness of Taiwan's independence and sovereignty, and the US
government's antiquated "one China" policy only hurts the future development of
cross-strait relations. This will have an impact on Washington's ultimate goal of a
peaceful transformation of China.
Second, Taiwan enjoys a unique strategic geopolitical position in the Asia Pacific
region and it supports the US-Japan alliance which will stop China, a continental
nation, from expanding its naval capabilities. However, if the US continues to abide
by its "one China" policy, Taiwan will not be able to exert its geopolitical advantage,
thereby allowing the already powerful China to engage in maritime expansion.
Third, Taiwan outshines China in management, integration of mid and downstream
industries and research and development. In addition, China's exports to the US are
mostly made by China-based Taiwanese companies, so if Washington refuses to adjust
its "one China" policy, it will in the end be restricted by China's giving precedence to
politics over the economy when dealing with Taiwan.
Taiwan should then take aim at Washington's cross-strait policy and Taiwan's
democracy.
Taipei Times /April 20, 2007
4
First, the objective of US cross-strait policy is to help the two sides of the Taiwan
Strait to settle their differences peacefully. However, Beijing is making every effort to
block Taiwan in the international arena. If the US does not want to adjust its "one
China" policy and help Taiwan join important international organizations, there will
be no room for cross-strait negotiations on an equal footing.
Second, the circumstances when the US first formulated its "one China" policy were
very different from today's growing Taiwanese consciousness. By adopting a policy
that obscures Taiwan's sovereignty, the US will not be able to help Taipei and Beijing
settle their differences.
Third, the US' China-leaning cross-strait policy has not only violated the basic rights
of the citizens of Taiwan to purse their freedom, democracy and happiness, but it has
also violated the founding spirit of the US and the administration of US President
George W. Bush's policy of seeking global democratization.
Faced with a difficult situation, Taiwan must make good use of its resources, construct
a discourse that best tallies with US interests and come up with a strategy aimed at
closing the gap between ideals and reality. Only by doing so can we bring the
international community to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state and eventually join
the WHO and the UN. Therefore, it is about time that our national leaders said no to
the US' "one China" policy.
Michael Lin is a political commentator.