Mayor Attends 228 Memorial Museum Exhibition
To commemorate the 60th year of the February 28 Incident, the 228 Memorial Museum is holding a special exhibition on February 25, with Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin presiding over the opening ceremony. During his visit, Hau noted that the February 28 Incident was an unfortunate event that led to the demise of many elites of the society. The repression of the government prevented the truth of the incident to be known by all which exacerbated the ethnic divide and aggravated the rising tension and suspicion between the native Taiwanese and the then ROC administration. Despite the loss and grief of the victims’ family members, Hau asserted that he is willing to reconcile to them and restore harmony back to the society. Like those family members, Hau hoped that the society will remember the lessons from this chapter of Taiwan’s history, let go of hatred and extend the hands of friendship. Hau firmly believes that this will help improve the ethnic relations in Taiwan. The Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lee Yong-ping noted that the effort and support of the public play a crucial role in the institute’s research into the truth of the incident, as well as acquiring valuable historical records and to allow the new generation to get a better grasp at understanding the history of that period. She pledged that the Department of Cultural Affairs will continue to devote effort and resources to unveil the truth of history. Former Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou also attended the event. He noted that it is necessary to reveal the truth behind the February 28 Incident and other cases during the period of White Terror. Without truth, it is hard to settle the wounds of the people. The two-month long exhibition will last until April 25 at the B1 Exhibition Room of the 228 Memorial Museum. In addition to pieces from the collection of a former Bureau of Investigation agent Sun Ya-guang, the exhibition features newly acquired materials of the personal collection of George H. Kerr, a diplomat from the United States who witnessed the incident. His material provides a glimpse of the incident through a foreigner’s perspective.