Premier Chang San-cheng says there is no reason to prevent an exhibit about the Sunflower Student Movement from being held. He was speaking at the legislature Friday.
Chang said the movement which began on March 18, 2014, should be recorded in history and dealt with from a historical perspective. He was responding to a question from opposition lawmaker Wu Su-yao.
Wu said Taiwan is gearing up to mark the second anniversary of the student movement, in which students broke into the legislature and occupied it for three weeks to protest a trade deal with China. He said researchers have begun collecting memorabilia, but that there is a lack of funding. Wu called on the government to help curate the exhibit.
“The black gowns worn by many lawyers offering pro bono assistance [during the movement] have been set aside,"said Wu.
"Other items that have also been preserved include a stethoscope and some written materials. I am deeply grateful to researchers from the Institute of Sociology and the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica for taking the initiative in rescuing these valuable historical items. Regrettably, although it’s important to hold an exhibit and find the best way of putting the original items on display for the public, these efforts to hold an exhibit have stalled."
Chang said it’s a question of where to hold the exhibit, and how to fund it. He said he will ask the culture ministry to handle the matter.