Taiwan's 'White Terror' dictatorship still divides society

At the end of World War II, the island of Taiwan, which had been occupied for 50 years by Japan, was handed over to China, ruled at the time by Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang. But in 1947, the Chinese troops who landed on the island were met with rioting from the local population, whose living conditions were deteriorating. The ensuing crackdown turned into a massacre. So began the "White Terror", which lasted for 40 years.

Things got even worse from 1949, when the Kuomintang was driven out of China by the Communists and Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan, where he established the Republic of China, becoming president for life and declaring martial law. Under his dictatorship, the political rights of the Taiwanese people were suppressed and several thousand of them, accused of being political opponents, were executed. Tens of thousands more were imprisoned. 

It was only in 1987 that martial law was lifted and Taiwan began its march towards democracy. As the island slowly woke up from a painful nightmare, it grappled with the atrocities committed over the years. How could those responsible for the "White Terror" be brought to justice? How could victims be rehabilitated?

In 2000, the first peaceful transfer of power to the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) sped up debate. But it's above all the incumbent Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP – who has stood up to Beijing during her two terms at the helm – who has tackled the subject head-on.

Read more Beijing’s narrative pushes Taiwan to rethink its own history

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