Two indigeneous persons, Voyue Tosku and Liao Li-chuan, have been exonerated of their former convictions. That was the word from the Transitional Justice Commission on Monday.
Tosku and Liao had received 17 and 10 year sentences respectively in 1954 for “corruption”. Tosku was the first from the Tsou tribe to be a doctor of western medicine. The two were among a group of indigineous elites who were also sentenced for “committing an overt act to overthrow the state” and “sheltering communist spies.” The families of these two victims have worked hard for years to overturn their convictions.
A group of Tsou elites, including the high profile Uyongu’e Yatauyungana, were executed as they had pushed for autonomy for Taiwan’s indigenous persons and demanded that the new KMT regime return land nationalized by the Japanese. These elites had been approached by Taiwanese communists who promised them autonomy but they were indecisive about cooperating with them. Some of their families later received compensation as transitional justice but since Tosku and Liao’s convictions were not political, they had not been exonerated until Monday.
Vice President William Lai spoke on this momentous occasion and offered his condolences to the families. He said he admired their filial piety and courage to fight for their ancestors’ exoneration.
Lai said this case is a significant one as it is the first indigineous case of its kind. Lai said that the government would continue to seek transitional justice for people of all backgrounds.