Taiwan in Time: Burning for freedom
Democracy and labor activist Chan Yi-hua self-immolated during Deng Nan-jung’s funeral in front of the Presidential Office on May 19, 1989, but his story is often forgotten
By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
May 17 to May 23
“Who still remembers Chan Yi-hua (詹益樺)?”
This question has been asked repeatedly over the decades, usually on the anniversary of Chan’s self-immolation on May 19, 1989 at fellow political activist Deng Nan-jung’s (鄭南榕) funeral in front of the Presidential Office.
People gather at Chan Yi-hua’s memorial on the 30th anniversary of his death.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
Deng had committed the same act on April 7 when the police came to his office to arrest him for sedition. That day is now observed as National Freedom of Speech Day, and it would be pretty hard to find someone in Taiwan who doesn’t know Deng today.
Taiwan New Constitution Foundation founder Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) yesterday said he would quit as Presidential Officer adviser over the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s lack of progress in normalizing Taiwan as a state.
Speaking at a symposium on drafting a new constitution and normalizing Taiwan’s international relations, Koo said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has failed to make progress on the issues, despite being in office for several years.
“The government does not want to move on this. It only wants to amend the Constitution not draft a new constitution,” he said, adding that the difference of opinion between himself and
Taiwan in Time: The ‘communist rebellion’ finally ends
The so-called ‘temporary provisions’ of 1948 that allowed the KMT to rule with an iron fist were meant to last for two years during the Chinese Civil War; they remained in place until May 1, 1991
By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
April 26 to May 2
Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had essentially given up retaking China by the late 1960s, they continued to espouse the notion until former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) declared in a press conference on April 30, 1991: “We will no longer seek to unify China through force.”
Lee was announcing the repeal of the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of National Mobilization for Suppression of the Communist Rebellion (動員戡亂時期臨時條款, temporary provisions for short), which had allowed the government to rule with an iron fist for nearly 43 years without following the Constitution.
Series of events to mark Freedom of Speech Day
By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter
A series of lectures, film screenings and discussions are to be held in Taipei through April 25 to mark Freedom of Speech Day, which was yesterday.
The events, which began yesterday, are being organized by the Ministry of the Interior, the Memorial Foundation of 228 and the Nylon Cheng Liberty Foundation.
The series, with the theme of “On the Road to Freedom of Speech,” comprises the “Human Library” lecture series, as well as the Human Rights and Freedom Film Festival and post-screening discussions, the organizers said.
Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te delivers a speech at the Jingmei White Terror Memorial Park in Taipei yesterday to mark Freedom of Speech Day and announce a series of related events.