President of the Republic of China, Lai Ching-te, attended the “78th Anniversary Central Commemoration Ceremony of the 228 Incident” and expressed his hope that everyone would work together to defend the country’s sovereignty, safeguard the unchanged democratic system, and prevent aggression and the repeat of the 228 Incident. The biggest threat to Taiwan comes from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
President Lai Ching-te stated in his speech that this was his first time attending the central commemoration ceremony of the 228 Incident as the President, and he began by apologizing on behalf of the nation once again. He emphasized the importance of recognizing the contributions of everyone involved in the transitional justice of the 228 Incident, noting that progress has been made in this regard.
Looking to the future, President Lai Ching-te outlined the government’s continued efforts regarding the 228 Incident:
Firstly, to expedite the opening of political archives and uncover the truth: Last year, he requested the National Security Bureau to manually review the approximately one million files related to the martial law period to identify political archives, aiming to complete this process by May of this year. The goal is to submit these archives for approval by the National Development Council’s archive management office by June, ensuring transparency and truth.
Secondly, the government will further implement transitional justice: The Ministry of Culture has initiated a review process for sites related to human rights violations during the authoritarian rule, such as the location of the Lin family massacre – the Yiguang Church. These sites of historical significance in human rights violations during the dictatorship will be preserved and maintained.
President Lai Ching-te has requested the Ministry of Culture to list the Yiguang Church as a site of significant transitional justice, aiming to preserve and uphold it. He hopes that future generations of Taiwanese will have the opportunity to visit these historical sites, reflect on the impact of authoritarian rule on human rights and freedom, and collectively deepen Taiwan’s democratic development.
Thirdly, to prevent a repetition of tragic events like the 228 Incident: The annual commemoration of the 228 Incident is not only to remember the victims and comfort their families but also to learn from history and ensure that such tragedies do not happen again.
President Lai Ching-te emphasized, “We already know that sovereignty is essential for a nation; democracy thrives within a nation, and only when people have a say can a nation avoid harming its people again.”
He further stressed that everyone is aware that the CCP has not abandoned its goal of forcefully taking over Taiwan, posing the greatest threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty, democracy, and people’s right to self-determination.
President Lai Ching-te pointed out that in recent years, the CCP has intensified its efforts to annex Taiwan through a combination of propaganda and military intimidation, taking advantage of Taiwan’s democratic and open society to attract individuals from various sectors, including criminal organizations, media personalities, political parties, and even current and former military and police personnel, for infiltration and subversion. According to reports from the National Security Bureau, the number of individuals indicted in espionage cases last year was four times higher than in 2021, totaling 64.
“In the face of such serious challenges, Taiwan stands firm. As President, my mission is to unite Taiwan, regardless of ethnicity or background. As long as one identifies with Taiwan, they are a part of this nation. I will work to unite Taiwan and urge everyone to steadfastly defend the unchanging sovereignty of the country, protect the democratic system and freedoms, ensure people’s well-being, and maintain our determination to resist aggression, prevent annexation, and avoid the recurrence of historical tragedies like the 228 Incident. Let us all work together towards these goals,” President Lai Ching-te concluded.