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Agence France-Presse

Growing up in Taiwan under martial law, Hsu Hsu-mei knew almost nothing about her father, only that he was executed for being a “thought criminal”.
She was five years old when doctor Hsu Chiang was taken away on espionage charges during the “White Terror” political purge by the ruling Kuomintang (KMT).
Decades later Hsu is finally learning more about his death thanks to a “confession letter” her father wrote just before he was executed.

She is one of many White Terror relatives who are only now putting together the missing pieces of their loved ones’ lives as official files gradually open up.
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My mother never told me any details [about my father]. She would only say he was a thought criminal ... He really just wanted justice for society
Hsu Hsu-mei, daughter of executed doctor Hsu Chiang
The letter was discovered in government archives.
Thousands labelled “anti-government” were tortured and killed between 1949 and 1987 under the rule of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo, whose KMT fled to Taiwan after it was defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communist Party.
“My mother never told me any details [about my father],” says Hsu, now a 71-year-old grandmother. “She would only say he was a thought criminal.”
The letter finally shed light on why he had risked his life for his beliefs by joining a communist organisation.
“It was utterly disappointing to see the oppression of the Taiwanese people ... the corrupt, inept ways of officials,” he wrote.
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“The large hospitals cater to the wealthy ... regular citizens can’t even get seen by a doctor.”

Hsu said she learned her father’s greatest wish was simply for a fairer system and to improve lives through medical research.
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It was utterly disappointing to see the oppression of the Taiwanese people ... the corrupt, inept ways of officials. The large hospitals cater to the wealthy ... regular citizens can’t even get seen by a doctor
Hsu Chiang in a letter, just before his execution
“He really just wanted justice for society,” she said.
Official records state around 140,000 people were tried by military courts during the White Terror, with between 3,000 and 8,000 executed. Many believe the actual numbers are higher.
Since the end of martial law, Taiwan has evolved into a democracy and a new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government will take power on May 20, after the KMT was trounced in presidential and legislative elections.
The DPP has its roots in the political movement that opposed Chiang’s dictatorship.
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen has pledged to bring justice to White Terror victims and fully publicise records from the period.
Since the founding of the National Archives in 2001, there have been steps by previous governments to give access to files from the period, whether to families, historians or the general public.

The National Archives department says it has uncovered nearly 800 pages of personal letters written by 179 victims, and has proactively contacted their relatives.
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Taiwan needs to come to a conclusion on what responsibilities Chiang Kai-shek needs to bear and how he should be portrayed in the people’s eyes
Huang Cheng-yi, Taiwan civil rights campaigner
To date, letters from 106 of the victims have been returned, a spokeswoman at the archives said.
However, relatives say retrieving documents can still be a lengthy and complex process, while campaigners say there has not been a concerted effort to gather and analyse disparate information from the era.
They want new legislation to coordinate that effort and to release documents to the public, as part of a more complete investigation into the repression.
They also want former nationalist leaders to account for their suppression.
“Taiwan needs to come to a conclusion on what responsibilities Chiang Kai-shek needs to bear and how he should be portrayed in the people’s eyes,” said Huang Cheng-yi, chairman of the Taiwan Association for Truth and Reconciliation (TATR), a civil group that has helped families track down the letters.
There are still memorials to Chiang all over Taiwan, where some still revere him as an anti-communist hero, while others revile him as a dictator.
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I couldn’t admit or accept that my father was a so-called ‘villain’. He dreamed of a better society ... I believe that’s what he was chasing after
Guo Su-jen, daughter of executed Guo Ching
“He doesn’t deserve to be put on a pedestal,” says Hsu, adding memorials named after the former leader should be changed and his statues removed.
Guo Su-jen was less than three years old when police came to her home to arrest her father, elementary school principal Guo Ching.
He had kept his family in the dark about his communist links.
Speaking about him after his death was taboo and her family burned most of his memorabilia for fear of their own safety, Guo said. But
However, she still felt an affection for the father she never really knew.
“I couldn’t admit or accept that my father was a so-called ‘villain’,” Guo, 69, said.
Through the help of TATR, she discovered unsent letters he had written right before his execution.
They were brief sentences, but finally gave her the connection she craved.
One will eventually die, please do not be overly saddened. If possible, I hope you will remarry!
Executed elementary school principal Guo Ching
“One will eventually die, please do not be overly saddened,” he wrote to his wife.
“If possible, I hope you will remarry!” he added.
Guo said: “When I finally saw the letters, it confirmed that I had a father, and he cared about us.
“They should have been returned to us a long time ago.”
After a battle with the government, who said they were classified, Guo also obtained photos of her father and other rope-bound victims, taken before and after they were executed.
Guo now sees her father as a man standing up to an “inhumane” regime.
“He dreamed of a better society ... I believe that’s what he was chasing after,” she said.


‘One will eventually die, please do not be overly saddened’: letters revealed of Taiwanese executed during KMT’s ‘White Terror’ political purge

Hsu Hsu-mei points to a photo of her father, Hsu Chiang, a Taiwanese doctor who was executed during the ’White Terror’ political purge. Photo: AFP

This photo taken on March 25, 2016 in Taipei shows Hsu Mei Hsu gesturing to a copy of a "confession letter" written her father Hsu Kiang, a doctor at Taiwan University once tipped to be a candidate for the Nobel prize for his research on the hepatitis virus, and who was taken away and executed on espionage charges during the "White Terror" political purge. Growing up in Taiwan under martial law, Hsu Hsu-mei knew almost nothing about her father, only that he was executed for being a "thought criminal". Decades later Hsu is finally learning more about his death thanks to a "confession letter" her father wrote just before he was executed. Thousands labelled "anti-government" were tortured and killed between 1949 and 1987 under the rule of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his son, whose KMT fled to Taiwan after it was defeated by Mao Zedong's Communist Party. / AFP PHOTO / SAM YEH / TO GO WITH AFP STORY TAIWAN-POLITICS-JUSTICE-KUOMINTANG-HISTORY,FEATURE BY MICHELLE YUN

This photo taken on March 25, 2016 in Taipei shows Hsu Mei Hsu holding up a portrait of her father Hsu Kiang, a doctor at Taiwan University once tipped to be a candidate for the Nobel prize for his research on the hepatitis virus, and who was taken away and executed on espionage charges during the "White Terror" political purge. Growing up in Taiwan under martial law, Hsu Hsu-mei knew almost nothing about her father, only that he was executed for being a "thought criminal". Decades later Hsu is finally learning more about his death thanks to a "confession letter" her father wrote just before he was executed. Thousands labelled "anti-government" were tortured and killed between 1949 and 1987 under the rule of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his son, whose KMT fled to Taiwan after it was defeated by Mao Zedong's Communist Party. / AFP PHOTO / SAM YEH / TO GO WITH AFP STORY TAIWAN-POLITICS-JUSTICE-KUOMINTANG-HISTORY,FEATURE BY MICHELLE YUN

This photo taken on March 25, 2016 in Taipei shows Hsu Mei Hsu gesturing to a portrait of her father Hsu Kiang, a doctor at Taiwan University once tipped to be a candidate for the Nobel prize for his research on the hepatitis virus, and who was taken away and executed on espionage charges during the "White Terror" political purge. Growing up in Taiwan under martial law, Hsu Hsu-mei knew almost nothing about her father, only that he was executed for being a "thought criminal". Decades later Hsu is finally learning more about his death thanks to a "confession letter" her father wrote just before he was executed. Thousands labelled "anti-government" were tortured and killed between 1949 and 1987 under the rule of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his son, whose KMT fled to Taiwan after it was defeated by Mao Zedong's Communist Party. / AFP PHOTO / SAM YEH / TO GO WITH AFP STORY TAIWAN-POLITICS-JUSTICE-KUOMINTANG-HISTORY,FEATURE BY MICHELLE YUN

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Thousands labelled ‘anti-government’ were killed from 1949 to 1987 under rule of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo


‘One will eventually die, please do not be overly saddened’: letters revealed of Taiwanese executed during KMT’s ‘White Terror’ political purge

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Thousands labelled ‘anti-government’ were killed from 1949 to 1987 under rule of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo

Thousands labelled ‘anti-government’ were killed from 1949 to 1987 under rule of nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo