The outlying Taiwanese island of Kinmen held a memorial service on Sunday to mark the 57th anniversary of a battle that took place there at the height of hostilities in the Taiwan Strait.
The island, which is just off the coast of Mainland China, has long been seen as the first line of defense for the Republic of China (ROC), which is based in Taiwan.
About 70 retired soldiers gathered on in Kinmen on Sunday to honor their fellow servicemen who died defending the island.
Today, the battle is known as the 823 Artillery Bombardment, named after the date – August 23 – when the battle began. Over a span of 44 days, the Mainland Chinese military bombarded the 150-square km island of Kinmen with more than 470,000 shells. A total of 587 ROC soldiers and 101 civilians died during the battle. About 200 mainland soldiers were also killed in the exchange of fire.
On Sunday, President Ma Ying-jeou posted a message on Facebook saying that the purpose of commemorating the battle is to show that the two sides should use reconciliation to eliminate opposition, use negotiations to settle disputes, and to seek sustainable peace in the Taiwan Strait.