Mayor of the southern city of Tainan, William Lai, is defending the removal of statues of late President Chiang Kai-shek from several schools.
On Saturday the Tainan City Government mobilized teams to remove statues of the controversial late president from 14 schools. The schools were not informed in advance, and one team of workers was blocked by residents in the neighborhood, who argued that the city government had not discussed the matter with them beforehand.
On Sunday Tainan Mayor William Lai defended the city government’s move. He said the removal of the statues is one aspect of transitional justice. He also said he had announced on Feb. 28 that he would have the statues removed.
Chiang Kai-shek is a controversial figure. He ruled Taiwan with martial law for decades until his death in 1975. While some credit him with defending Taiwan from the Chinese Communists, others hold him responsible for the persecution and execution of people during the notorious White Terror era.