What does this have to do with 228?
Why don’t you see the historical setting as important to the 228 event? To understand 228, we need to know what lawless behaviors of KMT people did to inflict Formosans, why those KMT people looted all over the island, why Formosans cried out for equal treatments from the KMT, what caused the inflation at that time, how severe the inflation was, what the government did to make a properous society to chaos, why Chiang Kai-Shek sent troops to answer Formosans’ call for reform, and etc. Please read the “Formosa Betrayed” by George Kerr (romanization.com/books/formo … index.html) and all the news reports from the New York times, Newsweek, and etc. I don’t understand why some people in Taiwan try to distort the whole picture of this event. Even though there were some WSR were killed when the troops arrived, but we can’t ignore the huge number of Formosans killed and disappeared. Check with the census and you will be surprised to learn about the number of Formosans missing after 228!
I think it is erroneous to singularly blame the KMT for the postwar economic crisis that afflicted Taiwan. It’s easy to do because they added to it, but its too simple and quite frankly its wrong. Theres a torrent of reasons for the problems, the loss of the Japanese colonial market, the economic crisis in China, the fact that the most destructive war in human history just finished and every other country was in a crapper except for the United States. KMT fiscal policy aggrivated the problems and KMT corruption made an impression on people, but it wasn’t the cause of the hyper-inflation gripping Taiwan. Few people are aware of the fact that even developed western Europe was facing a famine after the war and it wasn’t until the 50’s really that the economics of the world returned to a semblance of growth and order.
No, no, no, you’re looking at it completely the wrong way. The only proper way to examine 228 is to put in a vacuum and look at it as an event completely divorced from anything else happening at the time, especially things going on in the barbarian West. Otherwise it becomes much too complicated and the “KMT bad, Taiwanese good, Japanese kind of OK” premise begins to look as stupid and myopic as it sounds. 
Yours was one of the more interesting posts in this thread, btw. Thanks.
No, no, no, you’re looking at it completely the wrong way. The only proper way to examine 228 is to put in a vacuum and look at it as an event completely divorced from anything else happening at the time, especially things going on in the barbarian West. Otherwise it becomes much too complicated and the “KMT bad, Taiwanese good, Japanese kind of OK” premise begins to look as stupid and myopic as it sounds.
Yours was one of the more interesting posts in this thread, btw. Thanks.[/quote]
Let’s see who else do we have to blame?
2-28 must be the fault of the japanese. Why? Simple! They were here and modernized the place, and placed all those strange ideas in the heads of the locals.
Also, it’s the Americans fault. Why? Simple! By having all those ideas of self-determination and the like, they completely brain-washed the locals.
And not to forget… The Taiwanese have only them self to blame. Why? simple! They rebelled against the “law and order” being enforced by the KMT-led government. They could have accpeted the treatment they were getting, no matter how harsh it was.
But blaming the "poor souls " who actually got to order and carry out the mass murder? No, let’s not do that.
This is not an issue of blaming whose fault. The reason why it turns out to be a game of “blaming whose fault” is only because no one is taking up the responsibility. To go with your reasoning, do you mean we should not even indict any murder case since everyone has something to be blamed? Looking into the truth of the history, you have obviously ignored a lot by saying (Taiwanese) “They rebelled against the ““law and order”” being enforced by the KMT-led government. They could have accpeted the treatment they were getting, no matter how harsh it was.” Would you like the government coming to your house to tell you to move out of the house to give space for strangers? Would you like the government to order your every ten thousand dollars for exchange of one dollar? Would you like the government to pick your daughter to sleep with the officials? Would you like the solider to use guns to solve any disagreement you have with them? Without knowing all the facts that happened and then claiming this history the way the KMT wants you to believe is the biggest problem. At this moment, Taiwanese should learn the lesson from the 228— 2 different groups from different cultural backgrounds are sure to collide. Do you believe that 228 will reoccur if China is to take over Taiwan? I believe so! China is training a lot of people to come to the US to persuade Americans that Taiwan issue is an internal affair. My husband just went to one, and amazingly the Chinese speaker gave a fluent English speech! Taiwanese, wake up and face the real foe across the Straits now!
(Bump)
Those of you who don’t want to devote themselves now to reading the whole of Formosa Betrayed might prefer to start with a few chapters:
Chapter 11. On the Eve of Disaster
Chapter 12. The February Incident, 1947
Chapter 14. The March Massacre
From Chapter 14:
[quote]Suddenly the night silence was shattered. The rattle of gunfire could be heard not far away on the boulevard leading into the city from the north. Soon thereafter -a matter of minutes - Nationalist Army trucks rolled slowly along the road before our house, and from them a hail of machine-gun fire was directed at random into the darkness, ripping through windows and walls and ricocheting in the black alleyways.
The crack of rifle-fire and the chatter of machine guns could be heard throughout the night, across the town. The troops had come in from Keelung (Jilong).
This was to be the Government’s answer to proposals for reform. Dawn on that Sunday opened a week of naked terror for the Formosan people.
During a lull in the action on our boulevard, we made our way to the Mackaye Mission Hospital close by, to join there the Director of the USIS, his wife and baby, and other foreigners who realized that the large walled mission compound might offer some security from random gunfire in the streets.
From an upper window we watched Nationalist soldiers in action in the alleys across the way. We saw Formosans bayoneted in the street without provocation. A man was robbed before our eyes - and then cut down and run through. Another ran into the street in pursuit of soldiers dragging a girl away from his house and we saw him, too, cut down.
This sickening spectacle was only the smallest sample of the slaughter then taking place throughout the city, only what could be seen from one window on the upper floor of one rather isolated house. The city was full of troops. [/quote]
I am amazed with how little the “educated” Taiwanese I meet actually know about the event of 2-28.
Interesting stuff, nuggets like this will make you a very popular guy:
:loco:
A real soul brother, you found yourself there - how about a look at his doormats?
Yep, thats a pretty good description of yourself there AC.
On the contrary, I’m probably on of the staunchest supporter of the ROC you’ll find on Forumosa, if not the most annoying.
But then again ROC supporters are traitors to the fanciful Republic of Taiwan I suppose.
udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/NAT1/3196932.shtml
This is an article on the initial incident of 228. It interviews the people involved in that for the first time. If somebody can translate this, that would be great … I don’t have time right now.
Basically it says that (1) it was an accident; (2) was not like the TI/er version (the only one allowed under this administration) at all; (3) at the time, there were many Japanoid BSR street thugs up to no good, and they had a hand in the incident.
[quote]林江邁之女 原爆人物談228衝突
【記者蔡惠萍／專訪】
林江邁，這個無意間引爆二二八事件轟天巨火的寡婦菸販，成為後來研究二二八文獻中必然被反覆提及的名字，但卻少人追查林江邁的下落。對於自己在某一個程度上成了改寫台灣戰後史的關鍵人物，她的感受是什麼？她又是如何看待二二八事件？
一九四七年二月廿七日，那個影響台灣往後一甲子的關鍵夜晚，跟著林江邁一起賣菸的十歲小女兒林明珠，如今已是七旬老嫗。
幾乎未曾在媒體前曝光的林明珠接受本報專訪，回溯當晚在「天馬茶房」走廊下所發生的事；身為二二八事件「原爆點」的林明珠，顛覆了許多二二八文獻上的記載，她指二二八根本不是從查緝私菸而起，更非「外省人欺壓本省人」，純粹是出自語言溝通不良所產生的糾紛。
「我媽媽是一個歹命的查某！」林明珠如此總結林江邁的一生。林明珠是在父親過世後七個月才出生，林江邁身懷六甲時還不到卅歲，在大家族的妯娌間飽受欺凌。因此，林江邁隻身從桃園龜山來到台北市，為在延平北路開茶行的公婆煮飯，後來茶行結束經營，林江邁就近在延平北路當時台北市最繁華的大稻埕賣菸。
當時，剛光復的國府並沒有發放賣菸執照，因此並沒所謂的公私菸之分。林江邁只是當時在天馬茶房「亭仔腳」為數眾多的菸販之一。
一九四七年二月廿七日，一如往昔的黃昏時刻，放了學的林明珠跑到天馬茶房，「太平町」繁華的夜晚正要開始。當時雖是冬夜，但天還沒全暗，林明珠照例捧著菸盒四處兜售，林江邁則是在離她十幾公尺外。
這時，一個配槍的阿兵哥身影靠近了她，拿起菸盒裡的菸，右手夾著點燃的菸，左手放進口袋準備掏錢，以國語問她「多少錢？」受日本教育只會講日、台語的林明珠一時沒有反應過來，沒想到，一旁的地痞混混見狀立刻在旁鼓譟、叫囂「有人呷免錢的菸！」並且大聲呼喚附近的林江邁，「阿桑，有人欺負妳女兒喔！」
一群人立刻擁上，與阿兵哥拉扯，林明珠手上的菸跟著散落一地，就在語言不通及旁人起鬨下，衝突愈演愈烈。這時阿兵哥掏槍想要嚇退圍堵他的人，一舉起槍，尖銳的槍管剛好頂到了急著衝上前找女兒的林江邁的頭頂，一注鮮血立即順著她的臉流下，圍觀者情緒更加沸騰、激動。這時，被大人拉到一旁的林明珠聽到有人呼喊「阿桑，妳流血啦，還不快倒下！」「阿山仔，打人喔！」
事發後，林明珠立刻被送回龜山鄉下躲藏，從此失學，受傷的林江邁則是被送進附近徐外科診治。林江邁在醫院住了沒幾天就倉皇出院，當時她並不知道，全台灣已經陷入了遍地烽火、風聲鶴唳之中，更沒想到的是，她就是那個點燃引信的導火線。從二二八那天起，國府才開始查緝私菸。
二二八風暴漸次平息後，林江邁從耳語得知賣菸糾紛演變成一場空前災難，但為了生計，仍繼續賣菸，此時她也拿到政府發放的菸牌，林明珠也回到她的身邊。不過，自從二二八受傷後，林江邁就飽受氣喘纏身，身體狀況愈來愈差。
對林江邁折磨更深的不是身體的病痛，而是深鎖在心底、日夜啃噬的巨大秘密。很長一段時間，二二八是台灣社會的禁忌，林明珠不只一次追問她，「那一暝到底發生了什麼事？」也曾把在人們竊語中聽聞的「二二八事件」，好奇地拿來詢問母親。
林江邁總是把她拉到屋隅，驚懼發抖地說：「妳嘜講二二八啦！傻瓜，林江邁就是我啦！」唯恐因此招致牢獄之災；林明珠暗夜時偶爾也曾聽聞林江邁悠悠感嘆：「唉，為了一支菸，惹了這麼大的事。」自責自己成了歷史「罪人」。
等不及可以公開談論二二八，以及更後來「二二八受難者」可以要求道歉、賠償，成為某一種「彰顯」的印記時，民國五十八年，六十三歲的林江邁因肝硬化逝世，帶著這道深埋心底的血痕離開了人世。 [/quote]
This is a copy of an earlier post to bump up this thread.
Those of you who don’t want to devote themselves now to reading the whole of Formosa Betrayed might prefer to start with a few chapters:
Chapter 11. On the Eve of Disaster
Chapter 12. The February Incident, 1947
Chapter 14. The March Massacre
From Chapter 14:
[quote]Suddenly the night silence was shattered. The rattle of gunfire could be heard not far away on the boulevard leading into the city from the north. Soon thereafter -a matter of minutes - Nationalist Army trucks rolled slowly along the road before our house, and from them a hail of machine-gun fire was directed at random into the darkness, ripping through windows and walls and ricocheting in the black alleyways.
The crack of rifle-fire and the chatter of machine guns could be heard throughout the night, across the town. The troops had come in from Keelung (Jilong).
This was to be the Government’s answer to proposals for reform. Dawn on that Sunday opened a week of naked terror for the Formosan people.
During a lull in the action on our boulevard, we made our way to the Mackaye Mission Hospital close by, to join there the Director of the USIS, his wife and baby, and other foreigners who realized that the large walled mission compound might offer some security from random gunfire in the streets.
From an upper window we watched Nationalist soldiers in action in the alleys across the way. We saw Formosans bayoneted in the street without provocation. A man was robbed before our eyes - and then cut down and run through. Another ran into the street in pursuit of soldiers dragging a girl away from his house and we saw him, too, cut down.
This sickening spectacle was only the smallest sample of the slaughter then taking place throughout the city, only what could be seen from one window on the upper floor of one rather isolated house. The city was full of troops. [/quote]
For those of you who aren’t much familiar with the reasons that today is a national holiday in remembrance of events 61 years ago, see the links in the previous post.
And of course the really cool story is how it became a national holiday as the then opposition DPP pushed it through the legislature while the KMT were literally asleep at the wheel!
HG
I’m not complaining about the day off work, but if the real shite in 1947 did not get heavy until March, what exactly are we commemorating in Feb? The rights of little old ladies to sell illegal ciggies without getting manhandled by rogue customs agents? An unruly mob? A mild escalation of violence? Some ‘incident’, which was & is a daily rountine in many other parts of the world.
Why isn’t the holiday in March, when the Nationalist troops arrived as reinforcements from the mainland. And all that that entailed…
Because then one would have to mention about the BSR killing WSR episode of the event, which wouldn’t play well. 228 is a well crafted national holiday to blame WSR and the KMT for everything day.
Hopefully, this ill thought through holiday will be replaced by Hello Kitty Day next year.
[quote=“ac_dropout”]Because then one would have to mention about the BSR killing WSR episode of the event, which wouldn’t play well. 228 is a well crafted national holiday to blame WSR and the KMT for everything day.
Hopefully, this ill thought through holiday will be replaced by Hello Kitty Day next year.[/quote]
The boy starting the fight should take the rap. That would be the WSR, moreover I find your claim that WSR was killed en masse to be preposterous, and not borne by fact.
Enforcing the tax law is “starting a fight”?
Obey the law and there is no need to fight.