Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) says he cares about the 228 Incident and is open to meeting with victims’ families to understand their perspectives. Chiang spoke on Monday, about two weeks before Peace Memorial Day, which is in honor of the 228 Incident.
The 228 Incident was an anti-government uprising that led to a violent crackdown from the KMT, Taiwan’s ruling party at the time. Estimates say that anywhere from 18,000 to 28,000 people died during the clashes between civilians and soldiers.
The Taipei City Government usually co-hosts a memorial event in honor of the 228 Incident, alongside the Taiwan National Alliance and other groups. But the alliance says it does not want to host the event with Mayor Chiang because he claims to be a descendant of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), Taiwan’s authoritarian ruler during the 228 Massacre.
The alliance says many victims’ families aren’t willing to stand alongside a man whose family spurred on the violent response to civilian uprisings. Chiang says he has already met with some victims’ families to understand their thoughts and feelings, and he values transitional justice issues.
Chiang says he supports victims’ families speaking out about their experiences and he hopes their assets can be returned to them as soon as possible. He also says he hopes the government can share the truth about the 228 Incident through historical materials and files, so that society can understand what happened.