｜ Chapter 2 ｜ Lifting of the Martial Law: Defending Absolute Freedom of Speech IV. The Taiwan Independence Association Incident: From School Movement to Social Awakening The Temporary Provisions were officially abolished. The CCP was no longer considered an “insurrectionary group” or “evil communist bandits”. Instead, those seeking independence for Taiwan became the “insurrectionists” that must be punished to the fullest extent. The Betrayers Punishment Act was originally established in 1949 to target the communist rebellion. Paragraph 1, Article 2 of such law strengthened the punishment for Offenses Against the Internal Security of the State under Article 100 of the Criminal Code to “mandatory death penalty”. That is the dreaded “Article 2-1” from the White Terror, that would make anyone’s face turn pale. However, the Betrayers Punishment Act, which should have been abolished along with the Temporary Provisions Against the Communist Rebellion not only remained in place but also became the law used to prosecute those in the Taiwan Independence Association incident 9 days later. Those prosecuted in the Taiwan Independence Association incident included Chen Cheng-jan, a graduate student of sociology at NTU; Liao Wei-chung, a graduate student of history at Tsing Hua University; social activist Wang Hsiu-hui; and Amis missionary Masao Nikar (Chinese name Lin Yin-fu). The Investigation Bureau accused the four of accepting financial support from Su Beng, a Taiwanese independence activist living in Japan, to establish a “Taiwan Independence Association” in Taiwan with intent of insurrection, taking them into custody for “inciting civil unrest” according to the Betrayers Pun- 72 ishment Act (Article 2-1). At 5:50 a.m. on May 9, the Investigation Bureau, disregarding the call for “university autonomy” by academic circles since martial law was lifted, went into the graduate student dormitories of Tsing Hua University without notifying the university and arrested Liao Wei-cheng in his sleep. News of the arrest incensed the campus, reminding everyone of the historical trauma of the White Terror. The four defendants were arrested almost simultaneously. Chen Cheng-jan, who was named the main culprit, was born in Chiayi on February 28, 1959. He held a Master’s in Sociology from NTU and failed to finish a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Chen Cheng-jan was very active on campus, leading reading groups at several university clubs, promoting identification with Taiwanese cultural values, and researching historical data. He was also actively involved in social movements. He once traveled to Japan to visit Su Beng and gather historical data after reading Su Beng’s Taiwan’s 400 Year History. In an interview, Chen Cheng-jan stressed that the four of them had had no previous interaction. The only thing connecting them was how they’d all met Su Beng and read Taiwan’s 400 Year History. The case not only lacked evidence but also had absurd charges slapped together sloppily. It was a trumpedup political case. However, the case was put together so clumsily that it backfired and sparked strong social backlash. May 15, 1991: Students of National Taiwan University went on strike, demanding the abolishment of the Betrayers Punishment Act. Photographer: Huang Yen-wen 73