President Lai Ching-te addresses the audience at a Dec. 7 event marking the upcoming 2024 Human Rights Day at Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park in New Taipei City. (Courtesy of Presidential Office)
 

President Lai Ching-te said Dec. 7 that Taiwan remains firmly committed to freedom, democracy, and human rights and the rule of law in cooperation with the nation’s people to build a just and sustainable country.

Lai made the remarks at an event ahead of Human Rights Day, observed Dec. 10, at the National Human Rights Museum’s Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park in New Taipei City.

The president said that Taiwan adheres to a democratic constitutional system, and added that transitional justice is key for the country to continue on its democratic path. The government must learn from the past by squarely facing past wrongdoings, restoring the truth and providing justice for victims and their families, he said.

Lai mentioned recent government efforts in this vein, including a visit to the National Development Council’s National Archives Administration to inspect the accessibility of political archives on July 15, Lifting of Martial Law Memorial Day, and an Executive Yuan meeting convened last month by Premier Cho Jung-tai on transitional justice.

The president went on to say that the government must work hard to help the public understand the nature of authoritarian rule to prevent its recurrence. He added that only through dialogue, held among the people of various ethnic groups and across the country, can Taiwan unite and continue to move forward.

Historical wrongs may be forgiven, but they must not be forgotten, Lai said, adding that the government will keep working to discover and record truths as a key method of uniting the people of Taiwan and fostering the country’s development by promoting transitional justice throughout society.

Following Lai’s remarks, Minister of Culture Li Yuan said the MOC will continue to work to pass the Site of Injustice Preservation Act, even as it encourages creative efforts to pass the lessons of history on to younger generations. (YCH-E)