TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Premier Chen Chien-jen on Monday (Sept. 11) dismissed claims that the ruling government plans to demolish the Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) Memorial Hall by May 2024, as President Tsai Ing-wen will end her second and final term by then.
Before attending the Taiwan Tech Arena's (TTA) 5th-anniversary celebration, Chen highlighted that "the key to achieving transitional justice is to move away from individualization and authoritarianism in the democratic period."
Chen reassured that the government has been making efforts to address this issue by forming a special task force dedicated to transitional justice work and shared that "President Tsai has expressed her desire to see significant progress before her term ends."
Regarding the current progress for the CKS Memorial Hall's transformation, Chen explained, "We have conducted a comprehensive study, and there is no such plan to 'demolish the hall' in the current process."
Chen's remark came after criticism from members of the Transitional Justice Commission, established by the Executive Yuan in 2018, who sent a letter to the media a day earlier accusing the ruling government of "lacking political will and capability" to pursue transitional justice over the years successfully.
As the presidential election is less than five months away, the commission members also urged all political candidates to propose policies related to this subject matter.
Chen reaffirmed that the government would continue to gather input through various communication channels and provide updates in future meetings. "We will share more details on this topic as developments unfold," he concluded.