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Taiwan grapples with divisive history as new president prepares for power

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Taiwan grapples with divisive history as new president prepares for power

Taipei, Taiwan – Even as Taiwan prepares for the inauguration of its eighth president next week, it continues to struggle over the legacy of the island’s first president, Chiang Kai-shek.

To some, Chiang was the “generalissimo” who liberated the Taiwanese from the Japanese colonisers. To many others, he was the oppressor-in-chief who declared martial law and ushered in the period of White Terror that would last until 1992.

For decades, these duelling narratives have divided Taiwan’s society and a recent push for transitional justice only seems to have deepened the fault lines. Now, the division is raising concern about whether it might affect Taiwan’s ability to mount a unified defence against China, which has become increasingly assertive in its claim over the self-ruled island.

“There is a concern when push comes to shove if the civilians work well with the military to defend Taiwan,” said historian Dominic Meng-Hsuan Yang of the University of Missouri in the United States.

On February 28, 1947, Chiang’s newly-arrived Kuomintang (KMT) troops suppressed an uprising by Taiwan natives, killing as many as 28,000 people in what became known as the February 28 Incident. In the four-decade-long martial law era that followed, thousands more perished.

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This traumatic history met its official reckoning in 2018, when the Taiwan government set up its Transitional Justice Commission modelled after truth and reconciliation initiatives in Africa, Latin America and North America to redress historical human rights abuses and other atrocities.

People attend the commemoration of the February 28 Incident in Taipei [Violet Law/Al Jazeera]

When the commission concluded in May 2022, however, advocates and observers said they had seen little truth and hardly any reconciliation.

Almost from the first days of the commission, the meting-out of transitional justice became politicised across the blue-versus-green demarcation that has long defined Taiwan’s sociopolitical landscape, with blue representing KMT supporters and green the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

A recently published anthology entitled Ethics of Historical Memory: From Transitional Justice to Overcoming the Past explains how the way Taiwanese remember the past shapes how they think about transitional justice. And as that recollection is determined by which camp they support, each champions their own version of Taiwan’s history.

“That’s why transitional justice seems so stagnant now,” explained Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu, research professor at the legal research institute Academia Sinica who contributed to and edited the book. “Whatever truth it uncovers would be mired in the blue-green narrative.”

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A non-partisan view, Hsu said, is to credit the DPP with codifying transitional justice and Lee Teng-hui, the first democratically elected KMT president, with breaking the taboo on broaching the February 28 Incident.

The past shaping the future

In February, Betty Wei attended the commemoration for the February 28 incident for the first time and listened intently to the oral history collected from the survivors. Wei, 30, said she wanted to learn more about what happened because her secondary school textbook had brushed over what many consider a watershed event in a few cryptic lines, and many of her contemporaries showed little interest.

“In recent years the voices pushing for transitional justice have grown muted,” Wei told Al Jazeera. “A lot of people in my generation think the scores are for previous generations to settle.”

Statues of former Taiwan leader Chiang Kai-shek lined up in a park. Two of the statues in front show him seated. They are painted red. Some behind are standing. They are white or bronze.
The Transitional Justice Committee recommended the relocation of Chiang Kai-shek statues from public areas, but many remain [File: Ritchie B Tongo/EPA]

In Taiwan, the past is never past, and rather it is fodder for new fights.

As the DPP gears up for an unprecedented third consecutive term, the unfinished business of removing the island’s remaining statues of Chiang has resurfaced as the latest front in what Yang, the historian, described to Al Jazeera as “this memory war”.

More than half of the initial 1,500 monuments have been taken down over the past two years, with the remaining statues mostly on military installations.

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Yang argues that is because the top brass rose through the ranks under martial law and many still regard Chiang as their leader, warts and all. For them, toppling the statues would be an attack on their history.

The statues embody “the historical legacy the military wants to keep alive,” Yang said. “That’s a source of tension between the military and the DPP government.”

On the eve of William Lai Ching-te taking his oath as the island’s next president, Taiwanese will for the first time mark the “White Terror Memorial Day” on May 19, the day when martial law was declared in 1949.

While it is clear Taiwanese have promised to never forget, whom and how to forgive has become far murkier.

As the former chairman of the Taiwan Association for Truth and Reconciliation, the first NGO advocating for the cause, Cheng-Yi Huang lauded the government’s move to take over the KMT’s private archives in recent years but lamented there had been too little truth-seeking so far.

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For example, under the February 28 Incident Disposition and Compensation Act, Huang said many have chosen to stay silent about their complicity because only victims get compensation.

However, Taiwan’s tumultuous history means the line between victim and victimiser is rarely clear-cut.

Chiang Kai-shek pictured in 1955. He is wearing a military uniform with a long cape. Others in uniforms are walking behind him. They are leaving a temple.
Chiang Kai-shek (centre) in 1955. Known as ‘Generalissimo’, he led a brutal military dictatorship that only ended in 1992 [Fred Waters/AP Photo]

By digging into military archives, Yang has shed light on how Chinese were kidnapped and pressed into service by the KMT in the last years of the Chinese Civil War. Those who tried to flee were tortured and even murdered. And the native Taiwanese who rose up to resist KMT’s suppression were persecuted as communists.

“Under martial law, the military was seen as an arm of the dictatorship, but they were also victims of the dictator’s regime,” Yang told Al Jazeera. “The transitional justice movement has missed the opportunity to reconcile Taiwanese society with the military.”

To Hsu, Beijing’s belligerence demands Taiwanese of all stripes find a common cause.

“As we’re facing the threat from the Chinese Communist Party, it’s imperative that we unite in forging a collective future,” said Hsu, to a standing-room-only book talk during the Taipei International Book Exhibition in late February.

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“And how we remember our past will shape this future of ours.”

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Trump backs Cuomo, threatens to cut funds for New York City if Mamdani wins mayoral race

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Trump backs Cuomo, threatens to cut funds for New York City if Mamdani wins mayoral race
  • Trump further injects himself into New York City mayoral race
  • Tuesday’s election could shape the image of the Democrats
  • Mamdani leads polls ahead of Cuomo and a Republican candidate
  • U.S. provides $7.4 billion a year to NYC, or 6.4% of its budget
WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City on Monday and threatened to hold back federal funds to the city if Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election on Tuesday.

Trump, a Republican who has offered frequent commentary on the New York mayoral election, injected himself further into the race by crossing party lines to support Cuomo over Mamdani and the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, who trails badly in public opinion polls in the heavily Democratic city.

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Cuomo, a longtime stalwart in the Democratic Party, is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary.

Tuesday’s New York City election has been closely watched nationally as one that could help shape the image of the Democratic Party as it seeks its identity in opposition to Trump. Mamdani, 34, a self-described democratic socialist who is leading Cuomo in the polls, has energized younger and more progressive voters, but he has also alarmed more moderate Democrats who fear a shift too far to the left may backfire.

Republicans have attacked Mamdani’s candidacy throughout the campaign, with Trump casting him as a communist.

“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said a vote for Sliwa would only help Mamdani.

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“If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home,” said Trump, a native New Yorker.

Item 1 of 4 Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, looks on as he holds a campaign rally on the eve of election day, in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., November 3, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

The U.S. federal government is providing $7.4 billion to New York City in fiscal year 2026, or about 6.4% of the city’s total spending, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller.

Trump has threatened federal funding cuts throughout his second term in office over climate initiatives, transgender policies, pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza and diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Mamdani, a Uganda-born state assembly member, shocked political observers on June 24 with a convincing victory in the primary.

Mamdani has used his campaign to rally New Yorkers against establishment candidates like Cuomo, who was elected governor of New York three times but resigned in 2021 following a report from the New York Attorney General that concluded he had sexually harassed 11 women, including state employees. A U.S. Justice Department investigation later concluded Cuomo subjected at least 13 female state employees to a “sexually hostile work environment.”

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“The MAGA movement’s embrace of Andrew Cuomo is reflective of Donald Trump’s understanding that this would be the best mayor for him,” Mamdani said at a campaign event following Trump’s endorsement of Cuomo.

“They (Trump and Cuomo) share the same donors, they share the same small vision, they share the same sense of impunity,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani’s policies include hiking taxes on New York City’s wealthiest, raising the corporation tax rate, freezing stabilized apartment rental rates and increasing publicly subsidized housing.

His rise presents both risks and rewards for the national Democratic Party, which acknowledges the need to appeal to young voters but is wary of Republican attacks over Mamdani’s criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and his democratic socialism, which has concerned New York’s finance community.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Costas Pitas, Caitlin Webber and Stephen Coates

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Avalanche in Nepal kills 7 climbers on Mount Yalung Ri

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Avalanche in Nepal kills 7 climbers on Mount Yalung Ri

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An avalanche on Monday swept through a camp in Nepal, killing five foreign climbers and two Nepali guides, officials said.

Five foreigners were injured at the base camp on Mount Yalung Ri, located at 16,070 feet. Their nationalities and identities have not been disclosed.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency was aware of the avalanche and was working to gather information. 

“The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens,” the spokesperson said. “We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

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DAREDEVIL MOUNTAINEER MAKES HISTORY SKIING DOWN MOUNT EVEREST THROUGH DEATH ZONE WITHOUT OXYGEN

Mount Everest is shown in Nepal. On Monday, seven people died at the base camp on Mount Yalung Ri, also in Nepal.  (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Rescue crews were reaching the site on foot. A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the site, but bad weather forced it to turn back. Nepal’s Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa said it will try again Tuesday at dawn.

BLIZZARD TRAPS HUNDREDS ON MOUNT EVEREST AS RESCUE TEAMS RACE TO SAVE LIVES

Mount Yalung Ri is an 18,370-foot peak. It’s considered suitable for beginners with no previous experience climbing high mountains.

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Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest.

Earlier this month, a South Korean climber died after getting caught in a powerful storm while attempting to summit a Himalayan peak just south of Mount Everest.

Villagers with their oxen and horses ascend mountain in snowy conditions.

Villagers ascend the mountain during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest.  (Lingsuiye via AP)

In the autumn months, climbers often scale smaller peaks before the rainy season and winter months.

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Two dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi brings massive flooding in central Philippines

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Two dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi brings massive flooding in central Philippines

Residents seek refuge on rooftops, and cars float through flooded streets on the island of Cebu.

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Rain-soaked residents sought refuge on rooftops, and cars floated through flooded streets as Typhoon Kalmaegi battered central Philippines, killing at least two people, according to the national disaster agency and media reports.

Hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the powerful storm across the Visayas region as well as parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao, as Kalmaegi made landfall shortly before midnight.

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By noon local time (04:00 GMT) on Tuesday, Kalmaegi was moving westwards across the islands of Cebu, Negros and Panay with winds of 150km/h (93mph) and gusts of 185km/h, toppling trees and downing power lines.

A video published by DZRH radio’s Facebook page showed homes in Talisay City in Cebu completely submerged, with only rooftops visible.

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Similar scenes in other parts of Cebu City, where vehicles and streets were underwater, circulated on social media. In some of the videos, people were heard pleading to be rescued.

A road in the town of Tabuelan, also in Cebu province, was rendered impassable following a landslide.

On the island of Bohol, one person was reported killed after he was pinned down by a fallen tree, according to radio station DYMA.

An elderly person drowned after being trapped in his residence on the island of Leyte, according to radio station DZMM.

State weather agency PAGASA said the combination of Kalmaegi and a shear line had brought heavy rain and strong winds across the Visayas and nearby areas.

“Due to interaction with the terrain, Tino may slightly weaken while crossing Visayas. However, it is expected to remain at typhoon intensity throughout its passage over the country,” PAGASA said in a morning bulletin.

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More than 160 flights to and from affected areas have been cancelled, while those at sea were advised to head to the nearest safe harbour immediately and to stay in port.

PAGASA warned of a high risk of “life-threatening and damaging storm surges” that could reach more than 3-metre (10-foot) height along coastal and low-lying communities in the central Philippines, including parts of Mindanao.

On Monday, the country’s Office of Civil Defense reported that some 156,000 individuals had been preemptively evacuated.

Kalmaegi comes as the Philippines, which is hit by an average of 20 tropical storms each year, is recovering from a run of disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather events, in recent months.

In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa swept across northern Luzon, killing at least 10 people and forcing government work and classes to shut down as it brought fierce winds and torrential rain.

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State weather service specialist Charmagne Varilla told the AFP news agency that at least “three to five more” storms were expected by December’s end.

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more frequent and more powerful due to human-driven climate change.

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