“This year marks the 26th anniversary of incident and the 70th anniversary of the ROC’s victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War [1937-1945],” Ma said. “These two events show the need for all governments to tackle traumatic pasts while engaging in dialogue and reconciliation with the people.”
According to the president, mainland China should take responsibility for incident and make amends with the families of victims. “We set the tone in addressing such tragedies as February 28, 1947 Incident and the white terror period in the 1950s,” he said.
“We sincerely hope mainland China can face up to this painful past, doing whatever it takes to redress the wrongs, healing the wounds of the victims and ensuring such a tragedy never happens again.”
Beijing is now better positioned to pursue a more democratic and open society offering improved economic opportunities and living conditions for the people, Ma said, adding that by tolerating different opinions, it sends a message about commitment to political reforms.
“Mainland China should answer the people’s desire for greater political participation as this will help deliver more stability and bridge the gap between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
Echoing the president’s remarks, the Mainland Affairs Council urged Beijing to mend fences with the people using determination, tolerance and wisdom.
“This is an important indicator of political reform,” the MAC said. “Mainland China should establish a democratic and peaceful mechanism to address challenges and confrontations stemming from economic and social development.”
The Tiananmen Square incident took place in Beijing between April 15 and June 4, 1989. Large numbers of student-led protestors demanding economic reform, easing of restrictions on the media and greater political freedom were dispersed by units from the People’s Liberation Army resulting in an unknown number of casualties. (YHC-JSM)
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