228 Incident

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228 Incident
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When Tragedy Becomes Memory
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When Reason Demands an Examination of History
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Life Still Faithfully
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Creates the Most Complete Record
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(No Transcript)
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TAIWAN

• February 28 Incident?????

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• Background History
• ????

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• Aboriginal peoples believed to be from Malaysia
  and Polynesia first inhabited Taiwan over 15,000
  years ago.

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The Spanish and Dutch also went to Taiwan,
setting up trading posts on the island in the
Seventeenth Century and bringing in the first Han
Chinese, mostly the Hoklo and the Hakka peoples
from Chinas Fujien Province to work as
plantation workers on the island.

• The Portuguese passed through Taiwan in the
  Sixteenth Century, naming it Ilha Formosa or
  the beautiful island.

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• In 1661, Cheng Chen-kung, a Ming dynasty
  loyalist, expelled the Europeans from the island
  and established his own rule over Taiwan in
  opposition to the imperial Manchurian rule in
  Mainland China.

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• In 1683, the Manchus defeated Cheng and assumed
  control over the island. For the next two
  centuries, there were frequent clashes between
  the local population and the officials sent from
  China.

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• In 1895 Manchurian China lost the Sino-Japanese
  War, and Taiwan was ceded to Japan.

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• The Taiwanese did not like the idea of Japanese
  rule however, and with the assistance of some
  disenchanted Manchu officials, declared
  independence and formed the Taiwan Republic on
  May 25, 1895. Although the Taiwan Republic was
  short-lived, crushed just a few days later by
  Japanese troops, it was the first independent
  republic in Asia.

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• For the next fifty years the inhabitants of
  Taiwan lived under Japanese colonial rule. The
  Taiwanese people were socialized to be Japanese.

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• In 1945, Japan lost World War II, and the
• Chinese Nationalists, (aka Kuomingtang KMT)
  under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek,
• occupied Taiwan on behalf of the Allies.

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• At first, the Taiwanese welcomed their Chinese
  brethren, expecting a glorious and happy
  return to the Motherland.

• They were surprised to see the poorly equipped
  and unkempt appearance of the KMT soldiers,
  compared to the well-disciplined Japanese
  soldiers they were used to.

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• The government set up various Requisition
  Committees, which took over the Japanese
  government offices, enterprises and properties,
  as well as seized private enterprises and
  properties.

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• Soon, the economy, law and order deteriorated.

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• Many Taiwanese, who were used to the limited
  representative government and education under
  Japanese colonial rule, grew angry and
  disillusioned with the corruption of some KMT
  officials.

One of many shooting incidents resulting from
conflict between the Taiwanese and KMT.
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228???

• Tensions between the KMT and local Taiwanese
  residents grew, and culminated in the February 28
  Incident.

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The Trigger ?????

• On February 27, 1947, Lin Jiang-Mai, a woman
  cigarette peddler, was confronted by agents of
  the Taiwan Tobacco Monopoly Board who demanded
  her to relinquish her supply of cigarettes and
  any money she had earned. Lin resisted the
  agents, who clubbed her over the head until she
  bled.

Crowd gathered in front of the Taipei office of
the Tobacco Alcohol Monopoly Bureau
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• Nearby witnesses became enraged and demanded the
  agents to apologize. In the frenzy, gunshots
  were fired and a bystander was killed.

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• On February 28, 1947, a group of Taiwanese
  demonstrators gathered in Taiwans capital,
  Taipei, demanding reforms after the fatal police
  brutality incident the day before.

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• The demonstrators were met with machine-gun
  bullets, initiating island-wide riots and
  confrontations between the Taiwanese people and
  the Kuomingtang Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
  and other Mainlanders.

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• For a few days, local gentry and students managed
  to maintain social order and negotiated with the
  Chinese administration to stop the random
  killings and arrests.

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• Meanwhile Governor Chen Yi requested the dispatch
  of additional soldiers from China, while feigning
  a desire for peaceful negotiations with the
  Taiwanese representatives.

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• On March 6, local Taiwanese leaders in Kaohsiung
  were invited to negotiate with General Peng
  Mong-chi. Upon arrival at his military base,
  however, they were arrested and 3 out of 7 were
  immediately executed. His troops, armed with
  machine guns, proceeded to raid the city and
  shoot anybody in the streets.

General Peng Mong-chi
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• On March 8th, 1947, Chinese reinforcement troops
  arrived at Taiwan on US transport ships.

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• The KMT government took this opportunity to kill
  off the most educated and prominent Taiwanese
  elite in order to prevent future uprisings.

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• Tens of thousands died in the subsequent months.
  

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• Taiwanese students, educators, doctors, laborers,
  farmers, bankers, lawyers, prosecutors, judges,
  police officers, and elected representatives were
  arrested, tortured, mutilated, and executed.

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• Thousands of others were arrested and
  imprisoned in the "White Terror" campaign that
  took place in the following decade.

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• An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people were killed.
  

• For decades, no one dared to mention anything
  regarding 228.

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• Nevertheless, the February 28 Incident is an
  important turning point in Taiwans history and
  the memory lives on.

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Reconciliation

• Commemoration

Reconstruction

228 Memorial
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In honor of all those who suffered and died...

• May we never forget