President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) visited the site of the Lin Family Murders for a plaque unveiling this Sunday, where he spoke regarding the unsolved case and Taiwan’s transitional justice. 

Democracy advocate Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) mother and his seven-year-old twin daughters were stabbed and killed in 1980 in what is now called the Lin Family Murders. The plaque marks Gi-Kong Church of Chi-Hsin Presbytery, Lin’s residence at the time, as a site of transitional justice.

The president noted this is the first approved site of transitional justice that was applied for by members of the public, and said it is a moment for the nation to bravely confront history, remember its pain, and strengthen democracy.

President Lai said the Lin Family Murders are the darkest and most tragic chapter in the history of the authoritarian government’s human rights abuses in Taiwan. Upon taking office, he said he demanded the accelerated release of archives to uncover the truth. 

As of February, the National Security Bureau (NSB) had declassified and transferred more than 140,000 political files to the National Development Council’s Archives Management Office, including all files related to the Lin Family Murders. 

The Control Yuan, Taiwan’s highest supervisory body, revealed an investigation report stating that the purpose of the murders was to suppress non-partisan activities and strengthen social control. According to a 1980 NSB intelligence report, the possibility that the attack was carried out by non-partisan individuals, pro-independence activists, or international organizations was ruled out completely. The investigation continued for two years without identifying a suspect.

The investigation has been reopened four times since, with an unmatched fingerprint considered the most likely evidence to identify the perpetrator, but it remains an unsolved case.

The president emphasized that history has proved that true peace is never achieved by bowing to or compromising with authoritarianism. He said he believes that Taiwan will have more confidence to tell the world its story when more people refresh their historical knowledge. 

Lai said, “The story of the Taiwanese people is a story of courage. Even after the Lin Family Murders, facing brutal intimidation and a high-pressure political atmosphere, the Taiwanese people did not back down, instead becoming even more determined to push Taiwan towards democratization.”