Kaohsiung: President Lai Ching-te announced on Saturday that all archives concerning the unresolved 1980 Lin family massacre have been declassified for public review. However, evidence regarding the perpetrators remains unavailable due to the former authoritarian regime's "systematic destruction" of records.
According to Focus Taiwan, earlier this month, the National Security Bureau (NSB) declassified over 50,000 martial law-era political records following Lai's directive. This announcement came during the national 228 Incident memorial ceremony, marking the 79th anniversary of the 1947 incident. Lai, who assumed office in May 2024, highlighted the extensive efforts by the NSB, which manually sorted through more than 1 million archival records over 16 months to identify additional items for declassification.
Lai stated that combined with archives declassified since Taiwan's first transition of power in 2000, the NSB has transferred a total of 140,000 unredacted political records to the National Archives Administration for public review. However, he pointed out that "archives about the Lin family case are incomplete, and much of the oral history has proven unreliable or fabricated," referring to the 1980 murder of three members of then-dissident Lin I-hsiung's family.
The incomplete records necessitate further analysis and research to uncover the truth behind the incident, according to Lai. The 228 Incident, an uprising against the nationalist KMT rule in 1947 that resulted in tens of thousands dead and imprisoned, and the Lin family massacre are two defining tragedies in Taiwan's transition to democracy.
At the annual ceremony, President Lai addressed the issue of historical records that could help uncover the truth behind the unresolved Lin family massacre. This response was seemingly directed at the recent controversy surrounding the unreleased film, "The Century Bloodshed," about the tragedy. Investigation reports by the Transitional Justice Commission under the Executive Yuan and the Control Yuan found that key records on the Lin family massacre were "systematically destroyed," and the NSB and other intelligence units obstructed the judicial investigation at the time.
Lai questioned, "Who had the power to destroy those records? Who could have ordered intelligence units to obstruct the judicial investigation? Only the government in power had that kind of authority," emphasizing the need for accountability.
The film "The Century Bloodshed" has sparked renewed interest in Taiwan's dark past, prompting visits to Gikong Presbyterian Church, the former Lin family home and site of the massacre. This includes visits by prominent figures such as Taipei Financial Center Corp. Chairperson Janet Chia and has drawn increased public interest in the tragedy ahead of the 228 memorial.
Lai expressed hope that Taiwanese generations would continue to visit historical sites across the nation to reflect on the devastation that authoritarian rule inflicted on human rights and freedom. In Taipei, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim attended a memorial service at Gikong Presbyterian Church to mark the 46th anniversary of the Lin family massacre. Hsiao underscored the importance of understanding Taiwan's history, stating, "Understanding the past gives us the strength to face the future and cherish this land more deeply. It is our responsibility to safeguard this path of democracy -- one paved with lives, blood and tears."