Taiwan Govt urged to probe 1947 massacre

Press, 12 April 1988, Page 30

Taiwan Govt urged to probe 1947 massacre

NZPA-Reuter Taipei I Pressure is mounting on the Taiwan Government to order an inquiry! into a 1947 massacre 1 | of Taiwanese natives by Nationalist troops) from China, a tragedy that still poisons political life on the island. } Brutal supression of a rebellion two years before the Nationalists fled from China to set; up a Govern-ment-in-exile on Taiwan is- a rallying point for opposition by members of the island-born majority to' rule! by Chinese mainlanders. 7 i An Opposition member [oi [top Govern-

ment watchdog body has called for a full inquiry and demanded compensation for [families of the victims. 1 “The incident has cast a shadow over our society,” . Lin Chun-tse told the body, the! Control Yuan. Premier Yu Kuo-hua told Parliament there were 1860 casualties during the so-called February 28! incident when widespread rioting in Taipei and other cities was suppressed by indiscriminate killing. ! ' ■ It was the first time the Government had put a figure on' casualties. The Opposition says

many thousands were slaughtered after the disturbances [by Taiwanese resentful of I their new masters who took control from Japanese; colonialists at the end 7 of'World War 11.

! ' One of the darkest chapters in the history of the Nationalists is being opened at a [time when j [Taiwan people are being

[offered democracy after almost four decades of

authoritarian control. | School history books in Taiwan ignore the massacre that the Government has maintained was the work of renegade military officers and officials.