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[Report] Workshop”The De-Politicised Reconciliation in Taiwan’s Present-day Political Life” (April 17)

On April 17th, 2018, Waseda University’s Global Asia Studies Research Center hosted an international workshop, “The De-Politicised Reconciliation in Taiwan’s Present-day Political Life-Taiwan’s competing transitional justice discourse.” Agnes Ling-yu Hsiao, a PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, delivered a research presentation on Taiwan’s reconciliation and transitional justice after the White Terror. The term White Terror here refers to the suppression of political dissidents during the period of Taiwanese Martial Law which lasted for 38 years from 1949 to 1987. During the Kuomintang (KMT, Chinese National Party) regime, political opponents were massively persecuted and even executed. Since its democratization starting in 1987, Taiwan has carried out a scheme of transitional justice to admit the past political persecution, compensate the surviving victims, and promote national reconciliation. Dr. Hsiao addressed that de-politicised reconciliation became the goal for a nation in a state of transition to cope with their past sufferings, trauma, shame, and persecution. Notwithstanding, it is still a difficult challenge to achieve reconciliation between the former perpetrators and the persecuted. In particular, it has been difficult to define victimhood due to continuing feelings of otherness towards supports of socialism and communism among the Taiwanese people.

Dr. Hsiao’s research was based on years of fieldwork in Taiwan, interviewing numerous survivors of the White Terror. Throughout her lecture and when answering questions from researchers attending the workshop, she shared stories from the lives of the survivors. Some, such as a man arrested and jailed for his involvement in communist insurgent activities, have spent recent years working to spread public recognition of the human rights abuses that took place during the White Terror. Several of the people she interviewed were awarded compensation in recent years, but had been active anti-government insurgents prior to their arrests during the White Terror. Their past conduct has made it difficult for the Taiwanese public to see them as true victims of oppression. Some are open about their past involvement in insurgent activities, while other survivors, aware of negative public perceptions, are weary of sharing details about the past.

After the lecture, a lively discussion took place among the presenter and the workshop participants. The discussion not only dealt with Taiwan’s particular political situation, but also compared the similar cases arose in East Asian countries. One participant brought up historical events that could be compared to the White Terror, such as South Korea’s “4.3 Jeju Incident” and “5.18 Kwangju Uprising.” Through a discussion of related issues in other countries, it became clear that the historical incidents of White Terror are not merely a local issue, but rather as an important case for increasing global understanding of political legitimacy and historical reconciliation. As Dr. Hsiao argues, reconciliation is now becoming a substantial scheme for nations worldwide to tackle the past tensions and project a future prosperity and peace.

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