Draft:Monument for Victims of White Terror

The Monument of White Terror Political Victims is located on the northwest side of Taipei's Jieshou Park (intersection of Ketagalan Boulevard and Huaining Street). It was constructed by the Foundation for the Compensation for Wrongful Trials on Charges of Sedition and Espionage during the Martial Law Period and was unveiled on March 27, 2008. The purpose of its establishment is to commemorate the political victims of White Terror, and provide solace to their families. This monument is the only monument at the national level to “White Terror”, erected by the central government.

History

On March 25, 2003, through the joint interpellation of legislator Lin Yu-sheng and Su Chi-fen during the third session of the Legislative Yuan, a suggestion that the government should establish a monument to commemorate the victims of the White Terror era was proposed. The then Prime Minister You Si-kun expressed that he would demand Minister Without Portfolio Tsay Ching-Yen, who concurrently served as the chairman of the Foundation for the Compensation for Wrongful Trials on Charges of Sedition and Espionage during the Martial Law Period, to form a task force and conduct research on this matter.

On April 19, 2003, the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the Compensation for Wrongful Trials on Charges of Sedition and Espionage during the Martial Law Period decided to set up a monument project team with Bao Zong-he appointed as the convener. After careful consideration, it was proposed to follow the operation of the 228 Memorial Monument, inviting government representatives, victims' representatives, scholars, researchers and activists for social justice, among other experts, to form a monument committee. The design aimed for simplicity with meaningful forms, conveying a sense of inspiration, vigilance, reconciliation and education. The inscription sought to be concise and resilient, embodying the universal significance of human rights without the need to engrave the names of the victims. The location could be chosen from either Jieshou Park on the right side of the Presidential Office Plaza or Daan Forest Park.

The preliminary opinions were discussed at the Foundation’s Board of Directors  on July 19 and a guidance was formed for the future construction of the monument. After approval by the Executive Yuan, the project was transferred to the Ministry of the Interior.  The Ministry of the Interior's Department of Social Affairs invited relevant organizations to discuss the matters on the monument for victims and in a meeting passed a resolution requesting the Executive Yuan to express solemn condolences to the victims, based on the sentiments of resolving hatred, healing wounds, and learning lessons from the past. Necessary policies along with the establishment of a monument were also proposed. On February 11, 2004, the Executive Yuan passed the resolution to establish the monument, with the Ministry of the Interior as the competent authority, providing funds and organizing the Monument Construction Committee for relevant matters.

Committee for White Terror Political Victims Monumen

In May 2004, the Department of Social Affairs transferred the tasks of monument construction to the National Land Management Agency, which organized the institutional members of the "Monument Construction Committee for Political Victims of the Martial Law Period." On November 4, the Agency submitted the list of 13 committee members for approval to the Executive Yuan. The Committee, chaired by the Minister of the Interior, included representatives from four governmental institutes, namely the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Defense, the Public Construction Commission, and the Taipei City Government. It also included victim representatives (Yang Qing-chu, Lin Zhi-jie, Chang Mao-hsiung), researchers and scholars (Qiu Rong-ju, Hsu Hsueh-chi, Zhang Yan-xian), and activists for social justice (Lai Chien-nan, Su You-zhen).

The Committee wasn’t officially established until May 24, 2005, and during the meeting on October 3, it decided to change the monument's name to the "Monument for Victims of White Terror." In April 2006, the Ministry of the Interior submitted a request to the Executive Yuan for approval to change the monument's name. On May 29, the Taipei City Government agreed to provide the site on the northwest side of Jieshou Park (intersection of Ketagalan Boulevard and Huaining Street). On September 14, 2007, the committee decided to change its name to the "Committee of Monument for Victims of White Terror" and the Ministry of the Interior submitted a request to the Executive Yuan for approval.

Monument

Design and Construction

The monument is the only national-level memorial erected by the central government, commemorating the period known as the "White Terror." Designed by architect Wang Li-fu, the monument features inscriptions in both Chinese and English. The Chinese inscriptions, totaling 316 characters, were determined by the Committee of Monument for Victims of White Terror. Lynn Alan Miles, an activist dedicated to Taiwan's human rights, democracy, and political prisoner rescue, authored the English inscriptions. The calligraphy for the monument name was crafted by calligrapher Hsueh Ping-nan, and the inscriptions were created by calligrapher Du Zhong-gao. The construction commenced on October 16, 2007, followed by the unveiling ceremony held on March 27, 2008, by the then President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu. The project concluded on March 31, with a total cost of NT$32,092,327. The overall structure includes a 20.7M light tower with surrounding walls inscribed with text. In front of the monument are a landscaped pond, a leisure platform, and a contemplative corridor. The memorial square is a five-story structure (one underground and four above), covering an area of 632.49 square meters. The monument was first managed and maintained by Taipei City’s Department of Public Works, Park Street Lamp Project Management Office, and in 2018, it was transferred to the management under the National Human Rights Museum.

Lasting over forty years and roughly coincident with the period of Martial Law (20 May 1949 to 14 July 1987), upstanding people of conscience were arrested, detained, and even executed..

Such tragedies created an atmosphere of terror gripping all of society and becoming for the Taiwan people an unshakable nightmare, with a deep and far-reaching influence on social development. This period goes by the name of the White Terror"

Under the authoritarian system of that time, the rulers would oppress human rights from on high, casting countless lives into martyrdom,shattering homes and creating all sorts of injustices. The whole country was beset by a long period of tension and terror. By the 1990s, thanks to our compatriots' blood, sweat and sustained effort, Taiwan put authoritarian rule behind it, gradually becoming a free and democratic society.

The protection of human rights and pursuit of social fairness and justice are universal values respected by democratic countries. Not merely wishing to seek out historical truth and determine responsibility, all the more do we hope to keep in mind the lessons, so that whoever rules in the future will not repeat the mistakes of the past. The erection of this monument is therefore our prayer that hereafter Taiwan will become a democratic and free country honoring human rights and justice.

~Committee of Monument for Victims of White Terror