The commemoration marked the 62nd anniversary of the bloody suppression, at the cost of over 10,000 Taiwanese lives, of an island-wide rebellion against the carpet-bagging government of KMT Governor-General Chen Yi only 18 months after the Republic of China government of the late dictator Chiang Kai-shek in the wake of the defeat of Japan, which had ruled Taiwan for 50 years, in the second world war.

The 228 Massacre was followed by the imposition of nearly 40 years of martial law by Chiang's KMT regime, during which public mention of the incident was taboo until martial law was lifted in July 1987.

The central commemoration was held in Kaohsiung City for the first time after the KMT-controlled Legislature cut all funds to the 228 memorial foundation, which published a report in 2006 report that the KMT autocrat Chiang Kai-shek bore "the greatest responsibility" for the 228 Massacre.

Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu told The Taiwan News that her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city administration agreed to help the foundation hold the commemoration at the Kaohsiung Historical Museum, the former city hall next to the Love River.

In her address in the ceremony, Chen Chu described the incident as both "an example of people's resistance to tyranny and a government massacre" and related that Kaohsiung had been the place "where the slaughter began first and the most people were killed" by KMT troops under the command of then Kaohsiung garrison commander Peng Ming-chi.

Chen called on Ma to remove the infamous "Butcher of Kaohsiung" from the official Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei City and to set up a "228 Truth and Reconciliation Commission" and reaffirmed that "without truth, there can be no genuine reconciliation."

Speaking for "228 survivors and relatives," 228 Foundation board member Tu Shih-wen related that actions by Ma's restored KMT government since it took office last May, including the restoration of the name of the "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall," and cutting all funds for the memorial foundation had "inflicted renewed wounds in the hearts of surviving relatives."

Reflecting this dissatisfaction, Ma was greeted with calls of "Down with Ma Ying-jeou!" from some local citizens when he arrived at the site, but no conflicts erupted as police adopted a policy of "soft persuasion" with protesters.

As soon as Ma began his address, most of the audience and "228 relatives" sat in silence but about 20 protesters affiliated with the radical "Formosa Commission" launched in loud heckling that disrupted the president's speech with shouts of "Down with Ma Ying-jeou" and raising banners for "Formosan Independence" and "Give Us Justice."

Ma related that for over 10 years he had many opportunities to meet with surviving relatives of 228 victims and "quietly listen to their voices and appreciate their suffering and pain" and said that "I understand that no number of apologies and no amount of reparations can bring back the lives of our loved ones."

"I only hope to ensure that this kind of tragedy never again happens in our Taiwan," the president stated.

Ma also announced that he had "requested" the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan to "defreeze" funds for the memorial and rapidly approve a statute to authorize the building of a National 228 Memorial Museum that has been boycotted for years by the KMT-controlled legislature.

Before Ma delivered his address, master of ceremonies Presbyterian Pastor Hsu Tien-hsien admonished the president that "although you do not have original sin, you have responsibility."

Speaking at a commemoration in Taipei's 228 Peace Park yesterday afternoon, Ma related that he had been "very moved" by Hsu's admonition and said that "now that I am president, I will definitely use all my power to investigate" the incident.

Ma's address was followed by a rousing rendition of the militant "Ocean Taiwan" march by its author, Taiwanese folk singer Wang Ming-cheh, who injected in his performance that "there is absolutely nothing shameful about Taiwan becoming an independent nation!"

After the ceremony, Ma, Chen Chu and other participants walked across the street to the Kaohsiung 228 Memorial Park on the western bank of the Love River and laid lilies at the foot of the Kaohsiung 228 Memorial Monument.

Regarding Ma's commitments, Feb. 28th Memorial Foundation Board Chairman Chen Chin-huang told the Taiwan News that "I hope Ma Ying-jeou will turn out to be different from Chen Yi."

"Chen Yi promised the 228 Settlement Committee that he would not use troops to suppress the protests, but he did anyway," related Chen, who also expressed regret for the heckling.

"We had already discussed with representatives of victim families that they would raise banners and stage a walk out to protest against Ma but would not interfere with his address, but we did not know of this group's plans and there was nothing we could do," Chen stated.

When asked for her reaction to Ma's talk, DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen bluntly replied that "it was just talk."