Human Rights, Heroes and History
On International Human Rights Day, some thirty years ago, a group of courageous men and women faced down a tyrannical regime in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and faced the consequences. Peacefully they assembled, urging the gathering not to resort to violence or taunt the riot police. Their only desire was to celebrate an international declaration on human rights - rights so many of us in the free world take for granted. The right to petition the government. The right to speak freely without imprisonment. The right to publish without being shut down, as well as, the right to vote for candidates of your own choosing. These and other rights were denied to the majority of Taiwanese. It is not surprising that the organizers of the celebration were members who formed Formosa Magazine. They urged the government to end martial law, permit freedom of the press, release political prisoners, and allow opposition parties. Circulation grew rapidly as they organized discussion groups to explain democracy. And then, on that fateful day in December 1979, it all came to a pinnacle.
Lu Hsiu-lien (Annette Lu), a student at Harvard interrupted her studies and hurried home to attend the celebration. She would go on later to serve as Vice-President of the nation. Along with her, Shih Ming-teh, manager of Formosa Magazine, Huang Hsin-chieh, Yao Chia-wen, Chang Chun-hung, Fan Cheng-yu, Chou Ping-chtu, Ts'ai Yu-ch'uan, and Chi Wan-sheng attended and spoke to the gathering mainly in the Taiwanese language. They defined Taiwanese human rights, promoted democracy, and helped define a cultural identity. In exchange they were all arrested, interrogated and given sentences ranging from 5 years to life. Their names should be emblazoned in the halls of those who freely give of themselves for the greater good - basic dignity, human rights and democracy. Unfortunately, with possibly the exception of Lu Hsiu-lien, these heroes have faded in history. How many researchers on the subject of human rights could name one hero of the Kaohsiung Incident?
Yet these pioneers who forged out a democracy and fostered human rights in Taiwan are not free. Taiwanese live under the threat of extinction from China, an autocratic communist state ninety miles away. China, who is consistently listed as a violator of human rights, has a new weapon to further isolate Taiwan from the international community - the global media. The Washington Post reported that China's leader of propaganda, Li Changchun described China's position: "In the modern age, whichever nation's communication methods are most advanced, whichever nation's communication capacity is strongest...has the most power to influence the world." China has a six billion dollar global strategy to buy into media outlets (radio, television, and newspapers) to correct the image of China. They use a "soft" propaganda to portray China through rose colored glasses. They have the money and capacity to influence the world as they deny their own people basic human rights and jeopardize the democracy of Taiwan.
This essay is about the forgotten heroes of Taiwan who used the media to educate and organize a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy, insisting on the basic human rights that all peace loving people desire and an autocratic communist regime with an inexhaustible expense account and their global strategy to influence the minds of the world through advanced communication methods and capacity. Unfortunately for Taiwan and the world their strategy does not include human rights or democracy.
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