Gov't Reexamines Traditions on Anniversary of End of Martial Law

Taiwan's government is declassifying documents and reexamining traditions related to the period of martial law between 1949 and 1987.

Transcript

00:00re-examining one of the darkest parts of Taiwan's history.

00:04President Lai Ching-tzu checks out newly declassified documents

00:07from the 38-year period of martial law at the National Archives.

00:11It's part of the government's efforts to face the country's violent past head-on.

00:30Let's move forward together.

00:34Thousands of people were imprisoned and killed

00:36during the white terror era of political oppression,

00:39which was overseen by Taiwan's leader at the time, Chiang Kai-shek.

00:42Many hold him responsible for the violence that occurred

00:45as he sought to establish his government in Taiwan.

00:48But many also admire Chiang for his skills as a leader,

00:51for keeping the Chinese Communist Party at bay

00:53and making contributions to Taiwan's economy and society.

00:57For over 40 years, this massive memorial dedicated to Chiang Kai-shek

01:01was watched over by honor guard, but now stands unguarded.

01:05The decision to remove the soldiers from one of Taipei's most well-known landmarks

01:09comes as part of a campaign to end the glorification

01:12of the authoritarian period associated with Chiang's leadership.

01:16But for all the government's efforts, some scholars say

01:19that it is the public's duty to re-examine the country's history

01:22and make sure these kinds of atrocities never happen again.

01:26It is not the burden or the duty of a single government

01:31or a single administration.

01:33The main point is that people should pay more attention

01:37to the lesson we have learned from the past.

01:44Now, the soldiers that once stood guard over Taiwan's contentious leader

01:48perform the same ceremony just outside the memorial

01:51where his statue sits before marching off,

01:53no longer honoring a symbol of Taiwan's authoritarian past.

01:57Patrick Chen, Luffy Lee, John Su and Tiffany Wong in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.