Taiwan's MOE Launches 5th Transitional Justice Lesson on 'White Terror Memorial Day'

(CNA, Taipei, May 19, by reporter Hsu Chih-wei) May 19 is annually observed as 'White Terror Memorial Day.' Today, the Ministry of Education's 'Have you had your makeup class?' online platform for human rights and transitional justice education launched its fifth lesson. Through the stories of victims, it aims to take the public back to the White Terror period to understand that the value of democracy was not easily won. Transitional justice has been included in the 108 curriculum guidelines, but older curricula had little content on the subject. This year, the Ministry of Education initiated the online platform to provide 'makeup classes' for the public. The first four lessons were 'The 228 Incident,' 'Justice and Courage - Tang Te-chang,' 'Activist Thinker - Cheng Nan-jung,' and 'Taiwanese Peasants' Union.' The fifth lesson is 'May 19 White Terror Memorial Day' (https://hre.pro.edu.tw/bukeliaoma). The Ministry of Education stated in a press release today that the 'May 19 White Terror Memorial Day' course features interviews with political victims Chen Chin-sheng, Chien Chung-sheng, and Huang Jui-lin, as well as Professor Yang Tsui from the Department of Sinophone Literatures at National Dong Hwa University, who has long been involved in transitional justice research and promotion. Through the victims' own accounts of their experiences, the course guides the public into that silenced era, helping them understand how the authoritarian system profoundly affected individuals, families, and even the entire society. On May 19, 1949, the Taiwan Provincial Government and the Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command declared martial law, which was implemented at midnight the next day, plunging Taiwan into decades of the White Terror period. Under political oppression and the martial law system, many people were arrested and imprisoned for their thoughts, speech, reading, friendships, or even baseless accusations. The Ministry of Education mentioned that launching the 'May 19 White Terror Memorial Day' course is not just about remembering history. It hopes that through the victims' stories, it can guide the public to start from a place of empathy and understand the heavy price individuals and society pay when freedom is deprived and rights are suspended. Only by facing the past and understanding the scars can we learn from experience and avoid repeating the mistakes of authoritarian oppression and human rights violations. (Editor: Chen Jen-hua)