Commemorate 228—Prevent the Recurrence of the Tragedy

An appeal from the Formosan Association for Human Rights

to All Taiwanese Community Groups

February 2010

To a society, the wisdom of human being and the progress of the society are accumulated from past experiences; to an individual, one’s perception toward the world and actions from one’s inward are based on the understanding of human history. As such, we have to understand the history; particularly for those incidents in which many lives suffered.

The 228 Incident of 1947 in Taiwan is a grave human suffering with tears, blood, and lives; estimated 20,000 lives were killed brutally, very brutally. From the human rights point of view, the happening and the execution of 228 incident was to think little of human rights and human lives people deserved, was to cleanse one race by another, was not to be allowed to happen again. This massacre happened 63 years ago is certainly horrible; the crime has not been punished yet is certainly painful. But more horrible, more painful is that after 63 years passed, there is no assurance that Taiwan will never again suffer this kind of tragedy. Instead, the shadow of the tragedy is sparking around Taiwanese. Human rights abuse, political repression are recurring in today’s Taiwan society; the shadow of Tiananmen incident, of Tibet and Uighur crashes seemingly is inch by inch moving in dark quietly toward Taiwan.

We want to alert all Taiwanese, to appeal to the world, to watch the human rights situation in Taiwan, as well as in every part of the world. Let’s hold events on February 28, to learn the truth in history, or to assess the responsibility of the incident, or to discussion the pursue of justice, or to promote the sense of human rights, or to explore the human rights abuse on the earth, or to evaluate the human rights conditions in Taiwan, or to review the damage to Taiwanese human rights by a bully neighbor.

Dear friends, let’s take actions, you and me and all to protect and to care for everyone’s human rights. We must prevent the recurrence of the tragedy.

Formosan Association for Human Rights

(Website: www.fahrusa.org; Email: Forum@fahrusa.org )

# # #