Civic leaders from 20 countries renew their dedication to liberty and the extinction of tyranny at Taipei and Taichung rallies
Freedom and human rights have become keynotes of the Jimmy Carter presidency. Not since President Dwight D. Eisenhower has an American chief executive spoken out so clearly and so often in the cause of freedom all over the world. Freedom Day - observed on January 23 to mark the choice of liberty by Korean War prisoners in 1954 - could never have dawned in the absence of President Truman’s decision to defend South Korea against the invasion of the Communists from the north and subsequently against the aggression of the Chinese Communists.
More than 22,000 Chinese and Korean POWs defied Communist brainwashing in the explanation huts at Panmunjom during the bitterly cold winter of 1953-1954. The Korean Armistice Agreement had promised them “voluntary repatriation,” but it was a right that had to be won with great courage and determination. The “explanations” of the Communists consisted of threats and attempts at physical intimidation. If the Indian custodial troops got in the way, they too were attacked. The Communists never had the chance to get at most of the 22,000. From the beginning, the “explainers” were defied by POWs who wanted no more of slavery. Prisoners exchanged epithet for epithet and sometimes blow for blow with their tormentors.
In the end the Communists were compelled to give up. The 22,000 - of whom more than 14,000 were Chinese - marched across the Freedom Bridge to new lives in the Republics of China and Korea. What the few who chose Peiping and Pyongyang returned to has never been revealed. The Chinese and Korean Communists have kept silent all these years. Twenty-one Americans opted for life in Red China. Over the last 24 years, all but one or two of the survivors returned to the United States, disillusioned with a choice that grew out of poverty and lack of education.
The Chinese who chose liberty were resettled according to their own wishes. Some joined the armed forces of the Republic of China. Others went to school. Some were given land to farm. A few received training and loans in order to start their own businesses. All have been good citizens. On the occasion of 1-2-3 - January 23 - they turn out to renew their dedication to freedom. They were the originators of Freedom Day; it is a decision that none of them has regretted or renounced.
Freedom Day itself has been institutionalized as an occasion calling attention to the existence of liberty in the Republic of China and its absence on the Communist-controlled mainland. Free peoples and freedom-aspiring peoples are welcomed to Taiwan from all over the world for celebrations lasting several days. In 1978, more than 3,000 persons gathered in Taipei to hear President Yen Chia-kan’s keynote address, then went to Taichung in west-central Taiwan for a rally of 100,000 persons. The guests included some 60 government and civic leaders from 20 countries. The rally was televised in color on all three of the all-island networks. Freedom Day programs were held in overseas Chinese communities all over the world.
President Yen called on the world to face “the unprecedented challenge of slavery against freedom and brute force against justice. Whether or not the free countries have the courage to meet these challenges will decide their own destiny and the fate of the world.” The full text of President Yen’s remarks will be found in the Documents department of this issue of the Free China Review.
Participants in the Taipei and Taichung rallies adopted this Declaration:
“The 1978 World Freedom Day has arrived as forces for freedom are increasingly vigilant and the vigorous torrent thus shaped up in the course of man’s history is being accompanied by growing campaigns for human rights. It is against this background that representatives of the Republic of China’s various circles, along with visiting freedom fighters from the world’s various regions, have gathered for a mass rally in Taipei to express unwavering determination to fight Communism and win freedom. Invincible strength of unity has been demonstrated.
“Over the years, the international Communist race for expansion on many fronts has brought unprecedented tension and confusion to the free world. However, the strong growth of freedom forces, as contrasted with the worsening split and contradiction of the Red bloc, has unequivocally shown that man’s struggle for freedom will triumph decisively and that all the brute totalitarian forces bent on depriving people of freedom will be defeated by those who stand for freedom.
“We the rally participants are well aware that freedom is not possible in the absence of security and that all the free nations in this age of changing international situation must understand clearly that survival is possible only through mutual assistance and that Communist harm-doing must be brought to an end if freedom is to be safeguarded and promoted. The correct path to global common security and lasting human freedom is restoration of the captive masses of people to freedom, and this calls for unity of freedom forces and the overthrow of Communist tyranny.
“We the rally participants are also aware that the crisis of military aggression provoked in Europe, Africa and the Americas by the Soviet Union, its satellite forces and the Cuban regime must be completely removed; that the attempts of the promoters of Eurocommunism to infiltrate parliamentary bodies, seize political power and expand their scope of influence must be effectively countered; that hands of deliverance should be extended to the people on the Chinese mainland who are now in an ever more serious plight because of the fierce power struggle of Communist leaders; and that the schemes of subversion and communization perpetrated in the Asian-Pacific region by the Communists of China, Korea and Vietnam must be smashed. Only through the thorough removal of Communist threats everywhere can world security and human freedom be fully assured.
“We the rally participants emphasize that human rights should be respected universally and that freedom is absolutely indivisible. No double standards should be applied when one talks about protecting human rights. Freedom should be won and safeguarded for all the people behind and outside the Iron Curtain. Human rights campaigns and anti-Communist struggles must be vigorously promoted together throughout the world by all the people for the earliest possible total victory of freedom for mankind.
“With the above-mentioned common understanding, we the rally participants from the Republic of China’s various circles and the various world regions hereby issue the following solemn calls:
“We call upon all the free nations of the world that are exposed to Communist threats to understand well that the world revolution goal of the Red imperialists remains unchanged and that the Communists, bent on the use of brute force, will never agree to coexist peacefully with free nations. This being the case, free nations should immediately abandon any wishful thinking about compromise, neutralism, appeasement and detente because such steps can only damage the unity of the freedom forces. Attempts to have peace by signing accords with the Communists are mistaken and must be dropped ... Free nations must strengthen their spiritual armament and preparedness for anti-Communist wars, develop bilateral and multilateral common defense arrangements, strengthen or rebuild regional security systems and deal heavy blows to the Communists’ discord-sowing, aggression, infiltration and subversive activities.
“We call upon all the captive people under the Communists to respond to the freedom campaigns waged by intellectuals within the Soviet Union, grasp the Chinese mainland division and confusion resulting from Peiping’s internal power struggle, and start widespread struggles against slavery and for freedom behind the Iron Curtain so as to tear down the Communist ramparts from within and together with the freedom forces outside, overthrow the Red tyranny decisively.
“We call upon all the developing nations of the world to realize that the world today is one of confrontation between totalitarianism and freedom, that to swallow any Communist lie is to accept Communist provocation and discord-sowing, and that any form of assistance from the Communists will have to be repaid with the people’s freedom. Developing nations therefore should hold fast to correct stands; reject Communist regimes’ united front cajolement and enticement; strengthen cooperation with the free nations in the fields of economy, culture, science and technology; bring about strong free world political unity; and give full play to strength for the assurance of overall free world security, peace and prosperity .
“With particular emphasis, we call upon the United States of America, the free world center of gravity, to persist in her diplomatic policy that takes human rights as its moral basis; firmly uphold her noble stand for world security and human freedom; abandon attempts to use the Chinese Communists for the checking of the Russians; stop moving toward so-called ‘normalization of relations’ with the Chinese Communists, the Vietnamese Communists and the Cuban regime; abide by her treaty obligations and defense commitments for free nations; combine all the forces that stand against slavery and for freedom; and promote human rights campaigns behind the Iron Curtain of the East and West so as to put a period to totalitarian Communist rule.
“We the rally participants express intense concern over the plight of all the captive people behind the Iron Curtain and, in particular, extend strong support to the heroic anti-Communist and anti-tyranny acts of the 800 million compatriots on the Chinese mainland. We earnestly hope that the surge of freedom forces will spread powerfully in all of China, that all the enslaved and oppressed individuals will face the Communists and ask for the right of existence in freedom, that workers and peasants will demand the right of work and owning what they grow on their lands, that intellectuals and youths will request the freedom of thinking and scholastic pursuit as well as the right to advance in schooling and choose occupations; and that all the revolutionary anti-Communist forces will join hands and thoroughly smash the Chinese Communist tyranny, thus paving the way for other similar anti-Communist revolutions in all the other Iron Curtain areas of the world.
“The clarion sounds of the World Freedom Day bell have buttressed the confidence and courage of people throughout the world and blazing torches of human rights campaigns are being ignited everywhere behind the Iron Curtain. We are confident that this great unity of freedom forces is the prelude to the withering and final collapse of Communist forces. Let us stay closely united and continue our unflinching fight to win freedom and human rights for all mankind.”
Dr. Ku Cheng-kang, anti-Communist leader of the Republic of China and chairman of the Taipei and Taichung people’s rallies, said “We are happy to note that President Carter of the United States has expressed concern over the absence of human rights on the Chinese mainland and reiterated his human rights campaign as the moral basis of U.S. diplomacy. More than a billion people are now kept captive and subjected to oppression by the Communists. The plight of 800 million people on the Chinese mainland is particularly grievous. All these people urgently need assistance and deliverance. We therefore earnestly hope that President Carter will squarely face all the cruel facts and push human rights campaigns in Communist-controlled areas of the East and West so that the enslaved masses of people behind the Iron Curtain will be able to join forces with those outside who similarly stand for freedom and strive together for a total victory of freedom for all mankind.”
Asserting that the World Freedom Day Movement has developed into a torrent, Dr. Ku declared: “Human rights are inalienable and untransferable and must have freedom as a prerequisite. However, Communist perpetrators of tyranny resort to suppression of freedom as their basic means of control. They have consistently trampled on human rights and deprived the people of their freedom. This is why we emphasize that freedom must be won and enhanced if human rights are to be gained and safeguarded. An end therefore must be put to Communist threats and steps against freedom. To bring about that end is the ultimate goal of the World Freedom Day Movement.
“Developments of the world have shown that forces of freedom have grown and gained strength year after year. Communist tyranny is presently under three sharp impacts from those who stand for freedom.
“The first impact is in the form of blows against Communist forces. Such blows have included steps of resistance, deterrence and elimination taken by Asians, Latin Americans, Africans and Middle East people. The Western Europeans’ hatred and rejection of Communism also are serious blows. Particularly alarming to the Communists is the vigorous awakening and growth of freedom forces throughout the world.
“The second impact is the crisis provoked between the revisionists and those who oppose revisionism. The contradiction of the two lines is irreconcilable. The struggle and confusion caused by it will continue interminably.
“The third impact is the growth of freedom forces behind the Iron Curtain and their increasingly stronger opposition to Communist tyranny. Examples include the rise of Russian intellectuals for campaigns to win freedom and human rights, the liberalization movements that have been growing in East European countries and the revolutionary anti-Communist steps of the masses of workers, peasants and youths on the Chinese mainland.
“In view of the world developments involving the struggle of freedom forces against the Communists, the World Freedom Day Movement at the present stage must observe the following two major directions of endeavor:
“One is to safeguard the security of the free world so as to preserve the freedom of those who are now free. There is no security, there is no foundation for the protection of freedom. But the unchanged goal of the Communists is communization of the world through subversion of free countries. This being the case, the free world must eliminate threats of Communist aggression in order to safeguard freedom. If the free countries are to remain free, their national and social security must be assured.
“The other approach is support to the struggles for freedom waged behind the Iron Curtain so that all of mankind can be free. Freedom is indivisible. As long as the world remains only half free, the sufferings of the captive masses of people will continue and the freedom of those who are free will be continually threatened. If we are to protect our freedom and bring about freedom for all mankind, we must support the captive peoples’ fight for freedom.
“To win freedom and safeguard human rights, the free world must fully realize the following three points and act accordingly:
“First, efforts to safeguard freedom and human rights cannot be separated from anti-Communist endeavors.
“Free nations must understand unequivocally that there is no way to remove the fundamental contradiction between those who stand for freedom and those who want to push Communism, and that efforts to safeguard freedom and human rights should be tied closely to anti-Communist endeavors. When promoting human rights campaigns, priority must be given the winning of freedom for those behind the Iron Curtain. Furthermore, forceful anti-Communist endeavors must be exerted so that freedom and human rights can be fully protected from infringement by the Communists.
“Second, free nations should never act in any way to harm the forces of freedom.
“Free nations must refrain from steps of appeasement and compromise in dealing with the Communists because no peace thus gained can last. Furthermore, in the face of the international situation the Communists are attempting to control, free nations should never hope that detente or concession will settle matters involving Communists. Instead, the free nations must bring forth strength for the safeguarding of freedom and security.
“The United States of America, which has great power of influence over the free world, must abandon her attempt to ally with the Chinese Communists for checking of the Russians. Instead, she should continue to abide by her treaty obligations and defense commitments to the Republic of China. No further moves toward so-called ‘normalization of relations’ with the Chinese Communists should be made, lest the efforts of the Republic of China to uphold freedom and democracy and build a free and democratic new China will be hurt.
“Third, forces for freedom should be united ever more strongly.
“Free nations must further heighten political vigilance, see through the international Communist plot of world communization through a race for hegemony while voicing opposition to hegemony,
abandon hopes that peaceful coexistence with the Communists will somehow work, strengthen international cooperation against the Communists and foil any and all Red plans to divide and conquer free nations one after another.
“Acting in line with the principle of reciprocal economic benefit, free nations must jointly seek greater development and prosperity, shorten the north-south gap of wealth and strengthen mutual assistance and cooperation with regard to trade, energy resources, financial matters, science and technology. Hard blows should be dealt the Communists, who are attempting to cheat and destroy the free nations economically.
“Moreover, the free nations must learn the lesson that freedom will be lost in the absence of security. Preparedness for anti-Communist wars should be enhanced and efforts should be stepped up for self-help through mutual help. Measures of common defense and security must be strengthened in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Direct and indirect Communist aggression and expansion will thus be countered effectively.
Speaking for American Cause Incorporated was former Senator George c Murphy, who said:
“I am honored to be here. I salute you all and bring you best wishes from all of our friends in the U.S.A., and there are millions.
“I congratulate all those who organized this great international convention, and I particularly pay honor to the war heroes whose memory and glory we honor today.
“1 should specially and above all salute the first and greatest fighter for freedom and leader against the Communist aggression - Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. He is, without question, one of history’s greatest leaders.
“The story of his accomplishment - deserted by allies, deceived by false friends and denounced by Communist propagandists everywhere - is the greatest story of determination and dedication to freedom ever to be told, and it should be told and retold until the truth finally washes out the ugly stains.
“Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his loyal followers brought to this island the seeds of wisdom and culture of old China and planted them carefully. These seeds thrived and grew and blossomed into this fabulous land which is now the envy of all. They produced the ‘Miracle of Taiwan’ where freedom flourishes and progress and prosperity walk hand in hand with peace as an example for all to follow.
“That is why I am honored and happy to be here. I imagine how happy many millions of Chinese on the mainland would be if they were with us today. Think what would happen if the Communist leaders said: ‘You may go where you choose.’ We must work toward the day when this becomes possible, when all who wish to be can be free.
“When President Carter speaks of human rights, I call his attention to this great gathering where all of you have come together voluntarily, of your own design and desire, to pay tribute to heroes of your own choosing, to peacefully demonstrate your devotion to the cause of world freedom. No one ordered you to come. No threat or punishment endangers you for not coming. You came of your own free will and desire, and not as organized puppets to form the synthetic demonstrations we have come to recognize as the custom in Communist-dominated countries. This meeting, Mr. Carter, is a true example of human right as they should be enjoyed by all.
“One last thought I leave with you: If the leaders of the Communist conspiracy, in truth, wish to liberate and make progress for their enslaved people, I suggest that instead of spreading their network of lies and deception, they come to Taiwan in peace, study the system, adopt it and forget the use of force and terror, and people will prosper, their lands will become productive and they will gain the respect of the other free nations. The world would be a much happier and safer place in which to live.
“And so I salute you all, not with the slanted arm of the Nazi terrorist or the closed fist of the Communist, but with the open hand of freedom, fellowship and peace, extended high toward heaven.”
John Teboho Kolane, speaker of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Lesotho, called attention to the Communist threat to Africa. “This is not only a mammoth gathering of resolute men, women and youth who believe unswervingly and fervently in the ultimate victory of the struggle against Communism for freedom and lasting human rights everywhere on this planet,” he said. ”It is a chilling, apocalyptic experience never to be forgotten of the sacred duty of us all to intensify our efforts toward the final overthrow of Communism, not only in this part of the world, but wherever the hideous rot is to be found.
“Our anti-Communist campaign for freedom and human rights must be unrelenting. It is a struggle that must be carried on with ever-increasing determination to win, and with added vitality, using all the means at the disposal of the freedom loving nations of the world.
“As recent defections from mainland China to this beautiful haven of freedom, peace, justice and progress have so clearly and convincingly demonstrated, the millions and millions of oppressed and downtrodden freedom-lovers on the mainland have had enough and now want to rid themselves of the heavy yoke of Communism that has been a millstone around their necks for too long.
“It is not only the defections therefrom, but other upheavals as well on the mainland which daily show that the moment of truth for the Communist gangs is drawing closer. It will come. It must come, as surely and as truly as night follows day. What we freedom-lovers have to do right away is to accelerate the advent of that great and deeply longed-for day which will usher in a millennium of peace, freedom and progress never before experienced in the annals of mankind.
“If the 16 million people on Taiwan, the island province of the Republic of China, could do so much for peace, justice, freedom and incredible economic advancement, imagine, please imagine, what a free and democratic China with its millions of people with a tradition for hard work could do. But today these millions of our brothers and sisters who should be taking their rightful place in the world are oppressed and brutally enslaved. Let us rally to their support and the support of all captive masses everywhere.
“We must set ourselves the right anti-Communist goals and have all our anti-Communist priorities right, so that we may make no mistakes about what the struggle is all about. A person who knows where he is must know where he is going, must know how to get there and, should be able to tell when he has arrived.
“There is today a gigantic and burning question so far as this part of the globe is concerned. That is the ‘China issue,’ which should rightly be the issue of a free, mighty and democratic China in contradistinction to what some people erroneously and glibly speak of as the ‘Taiwan issue,’ which is nothing but a Communist concept which deceitfully clouds the real issues at stake.
“The government on this island province is the only legitimate government of the Chinese people, the government of their hopes and aspirations, of the true Chinese way of life, the government of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and President Chiang Kai-shek who must surely still be guiding the destiny of this great Republic from Heaven. There can therefore be no normalization of relations or normalization of anything, for that matter, with the tyrannical Communist regime.
“These two great and amazing men that you all know about must be our guiding light as we wage the anti-Communist war that we must win at all costs.”
From Holland came Marten Schakel, vice president of the Netherlands parliament. He recalled the war with German Fascism and Communism are very alike. Like Fascism, Communism is incompatible with freedom and freedom is a basic human right. Communism and freedom are incompatible. This is not merely a conclusion; it contains an obligation to all of the people still living in freedom. The frontier between Communism and freedom is not a static one. The course of that frontier depends on the Communists and depends on you and me.
“You here on this island of Taiwan are on the frontline of freedom and democracy. You are aware of it. You are one of the few peoples in the world celebrating Freedom Day in memory of what is past and also as an important task still to be done. The free world relies on you and Taiwan can rely on the free world.”
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Fadda, the president of Riyadh University in Saudi Arabia, said his country rejects Communist ideology absolutely. The Saudi Arabians believe with the Republic of China that equality and individual rights must be respected; they reject hatred and killing. He urged increased cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the ROC in the cause of freedom.
Japanese Diet member Masaaki Nakayama expressed regret that his country had recognized the Chinese Communists and said he hoped Japan would not conclude a treaty of “peace and friendship” with Peiping. The Japanese relationship with the Republic of China should be one of brother nations, he added.
Freedom advocates heard this message from Fan Yuan-yen: “I am Fan Yuan-yen, a former squadron leader of the Second Independent Reconaissance Regiment of the Chinese Communist air force. On July 7 last year I extricated myself from Chinese Communist control, flew a plane out to freedom from Fukien and safely reached Taiwan, our national recovery base.
“In the half year since then, I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic welcome, love and care extended to me by government sources and fellow countrymen. I had never experienced such warmth. I am now fully aware of the respect for fundamental human rights here in this free fatherland of mine. I also know how harmonious man-to-man relations are here. This is in sharp contrast with the condition of the Chinese mainland under Communist tyranny, where cruelty and heartlessness prevail and the people are full of suspicion and animosity as they are made to carry on struggle.
“At this World Freedom Day mass rally for strength and progress, I should like to point out to the distinguished guests from abroad and to my compatriots, military and civilian alike, that our mainland compatriots on the other side of the straits are experiencing utmost pains of enslavement and oppression under Red terror. I firmly believe that if they could really know how beautiful and comfortable the life of people here in Taiwan is, they would risk their lives and flee to freedom individually or en masse. They are constantly praying that our Central Government will soon launch a counterattack, deliver them from the hands of the diabolical Communists and let them live happily in freedom and democracy.
“I assure you that the Communists will perish because of their acts against humanity. If only we hoist high the banner of San Min Chu I (Three Principles of the People) and gallantly march back to the mainland, our compatriots there will immediately be on their feet and, together with us from outside, fight to the very end until all the Communists are thoroughly and completely eliminated.
“Along with the government and my fellow countrymen, I will strive on as a vanguard of the anti-Communist national salvation mission, bring forth every bit of my strength and fight on for the elimination of the Communists and the rebuilding of a new China. Our mission against slavery and for freedom will certainly be victorious and successful.”
Sabit Osman Avci, first vice president of the Turkish Justice Party, said those who have shed their blood for freedom and who have fought for peace truly understand the meaning of freedom and peace, but too many people are still deprived of liberty. “Enjoyment of freedom is not just our right,” he said. ”It is the common desire of all mankind.”
Tsai Hong-wen, the speaker of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly, extended the greetings of the island parliamentary body, which has its seat near Taichung. “Pursuit of freedom and human rights,” he said, “represents the common wish of mankind. We firmly believe that those of us living in freedom on this national recovery base, all our overseas brethren throughout the free world and our 800 million compatriots now held captive with no trace of freedom on the mainland, being of the same blood and of identical sentiments, will continue to seek strength and progress under the leadership of the government and one day in the near future will overthrow the Communist tyranny and recover the whole of the mainland.”
Jorge Vargas, a national legislator from Brazil, said anti-Communism is a world trend and gaining support everywhere. Free men must rise to prevent the Communists from enslaving the world, he added.
Senator Babalizandla K. M. Nhlabathsi from Swaziland said: “The Communist goal of world domination has not been changed and the Communists are active everywhere. The other free nations should fight as hard as the (free Chinese) are doing. The Africans in particular should stand up for their freedom and independence and strive to shape a future of their own choice without outside interference. All the free peoples must join hands and fight on in unity for the safeguarding of their freedom and for the winning of freedom for those who are now not free.”
Other speakers included Otto Jelinek and Ursula Krone-Appuhn, parliamentarians from Canada and West Germany, respectively. Foreign guests called on government leaders, attended seminars and saw something of the Republic of China’s free institutions and progress before returning to their own countries.