大華府台灣社區舉辦228 和平公義紀念會

恭邀新舊認同台灣遠近鄉親攜眷帶友共襄盛舉

日期:  2010年二月二十七日 (星期六)

時間:  下午二時到四時30分

地點:  3211 Paul Drive, Wheaton, Maryland 20902
          韓國人社區教會[此教會與華府台灣基督長老教會相鄰接]

主題演講:  王景弘先生(名政論家)

大約二十年前，我們共同故鄉台灣將二月二十八日這一天永定為國訂假日(National Holiday)。其用意應該不在台灣假日不夠多，而是希望這一天全國上下都能共同默想沉思，從一九四七年228屠殺事件及爾後三十年白色恐怖的極度悲痛之中勇敢地走向光明: 化悲痛為力量，化對立為和解; 永別過時的賣台思考，脫胎換骨為合時的認同行動; 從今以後，各族群不分來台先後，共同把寶島臺灣建設為比美瑞士的國度: 提倡自由、確保平等、落實民主、保障人權、均富國民、和諧社會、外無敵國威脅; 在這國度裡，一言以蔽之，對內公義必施，對外和平可期。這應該就是從228慘痛代價之中學來，過去不同族群猜忌，今後代代和睦相處，最珍貴的歷史功課。

大華府台灣社區一年一度舉辦228 和平公義紀念會已經有十幾年悠久歷史。每年豐富節目必包括:  隆重的紀念禮拜，主題演講，優美音樂 (包括會眾大齊唱)，以及會後茶點交誼。今年照常具備、樣樣精彩。恭邀新舊認同故鄉台灣遠近鄉親們勿失良好機會，屆時踴躍攜眷帶友共襄盛舉。

欲知詳情，請電洪健棣牧師(301) 942-1133/ (240) 274-2010，

 蔡武男先生(301) 299-4456，吳玉琴女士(301) 294-2557，張懷德先生 (301) 770-3075，林哲義先生(301) 208-8075， 洪啟蜂先生 (301) 874-5391， 黃美玲女士(301) 438-1812，陳正倫先生(703) 726-2568， 或王能祥(202) 241-7777。

請邀友!        請攜眷!! 請參加!!!

Re: 228 Peace and Justice Memorial Service

      When:  Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Where:  Wheaton Community Church, 3211 Paul Drive, Wheaton,

    Maryland 20902  (Phone:  301-942-1133)

     Contact:  Neng-Hsiang Wang (202-241-7777), Gilbert Wang (202-413-4235)

        You are cordially invited to attend this year’s 228 memorial service in promotion of a great cause:  Peace and Justice in Taiwan.  The service will consist of an memorial worship, an entertaining music program, a key-note speech, a singalong, and a rich fellowship program.

The “228” stands for February 28, 1947.  On that day an uprising against the imposed foreign occupation army, Chinese Nationalist Occupation Army, occurred spontaneously in the island of Taiwan protesting that occupation army’s unprecedented corruption, lawlessness, and brutal military rule on native Taiwanese--their subjugated people.  Taiwan was forced to become Japan’s colony in 1895; fifty years later Taiwan was handed over to the Allied after Japan surrendered to the Allied on August 15, 1945.  From the first day of their arrival, the Chinese Occupation Army treated the native Taiwanese as subjugated colonial people of Japan.

  The uprising was suppressed with a horrible massacre by the occupation army and its heavy reinforcements who were sent by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, China’s ruler, to assist in military suppression.  Fleeing Chinese Communism, one million more Chinese Nationalists arrived in 1949.  With the Occupation Army already stationed in Taiwan, the Chinese Nationalists exercised ubiquitous police-state dictatorship, the most notorious being declaration of martial law which lasted 38 years.  This 228 massacre and its subsequent police state rule—known as “White Terror Dictatorship”--sparked a new national consciousness and a rising search for national identity among the natives of Taiwan.

Despite the unbearable harsh White Terror dictatorship, the new generation among the subjugated native people, motivated by their love of the land and united as one cohesive people, moved diligently forward in two fronts.  Economically, due to their hard work and massive United States aid, beginning in 1970, Taiwan experienced three decades of economic flight (economic take-off); furthermore, a generation later, politically unprecedented in Taiwan’s history, one Taiwan-born intellectual by the name of Lee Teng-hui was elected by the people in 1996 to the nation’s highest political office—the Presidency.  Another Taiwan-born lawyer was elected to the same high office serving the next two terms for eight years. 

Twenty years ago, Government on Taiwan under President Lee declared the most tragic day of February 28 as a new National Holiday.  The declaration was issued in the hope that someday the people of Taiwan would think to live in forgiveness, in mutual trust and in compassion between the old generations of the natives of Taiwan and the Chinese Nationalists, whom for five decades had lived in suspicion, distrust, and separation.

Above all, the innocent, particularly the marginal, younger generation--descendents of the natives and those of new arrivals (Chinese Nationalists) alike--would emerge under a notion of common destiny with forgiving the old wounds and forgetting the old suspicion and distrust. Together, all will be identifying, unifying, and forging as One People, and thereby living side by side in harmony, with eventual establishment of a proud new nation that would happily promote and courageously pursue for all inhabitants.  That is, freedom, equality, democracy, human rights in an egalitarian society without fear of foreign threat--a new nation of Peace and Justice for all.  And this is what this new national holiday—“228 Day”--is all about.  Will you join us in this most meaningful 228 memorial service?