Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an remembers 228 Incident, seeks to transcend tragedy

Taipei, Feb. 28 (CNA) Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), a purported descendant of late Republic of China President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), said Saturday that rather than shunning the 228 Incident, he will spare no effort to address history "as a Taiwanese" in a bid to transcend it.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the 228 Incident at 228 Peace Memorial Park, the Kuomintang (KMT) mayor apologized to the descendants of victims in his capacity as mayor.

During his speech, he said twice that the massacre was a "tragedy that should by no means have occurred."

"As those who came later, we must not forget history, but have it engraved in our minds so that we can transcend it," Chiang said. "Only by facing it sincerely and reflecting on it solemnly can we learn from it and move forward."

The 228 Incident refers to the bloody crackdown on protesters and dissenters in 1947 following the brutal beating of a tobacco vendor in Taipei by government agents.

The initial protests reflected pent-up anger over the heavy-handed methods of the KMT regime but soon erupted into islandwide demonstrations that were met with lethal military force, resulting in a death toll between 18,000 and 28,000.

Chiang noted that since assuming office in 2022, he has directed the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs to prioritize related projects, including renovating the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, digitizing exhibitions, and publishing two monographs by the end of 2026.

"Our attitude and stance are clear. We will certainly not shun history, but rather try our best to present as many aspects of it as possible through historical materials," Chiang said.

During the event, a descendant of a victim was seen wearing a paper bag over their head while carrying a placard that read: "Forgiveness is impossible without addressing the facts."

When asked to comment on the protest, Chiang later told reporters that the city government will "do its utmost to heal the wounds."

The event was also attended by former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).

"The 228 Incident is a historical debt shared by everyone living in Taiwan. While the perpetrators and victims are no longer with us, we, the descendants, must remember the lessons of history," Lu, who served as Vice President of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) from 2000 to 2008, told reporters after the event.

Lu acknowledged Chiang's identity as being widely seen as an offspring of Chiang Kai-shek while highlighting his remarks that the incident should never have happened. "I hope everyone remembers these words, so that we can both encourage him and keep a watchful eye on him," she said.

She also called on the DPP to show consistent respect for the commemoration regardless of which party holds the mayoralty.

"For a historical debt like this, the DPP should not only attend when it runs the city," Lu said. "I am convinced that the future of Taiwan's history should be created by both the 'Blue' (KMT) and 'Green' (DPP) camps."