Taipei, July 21 (CNA) The Executive Yuan (Cabinet) approved a draft bill on Thursday to set up a "National Human Rights Museum" under the Ministry of Culture, to spread awareness of past victims of authoritarianism and human rights violations in Taiwan,
The draft bill will be sent to the Legislative Yuan to review and approve.
Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun said during a press conference that the human rights museum will collect historical archives and artifacts from the authoritarian era to research, exhibit, inform and promote awareness.
The Jingmei Human Rights Cultural Park in New Taipei, the Green Island Human Rights Cultural Park on Green Island, both former detainment centers for political prisoners will be combined into "White Terror Memorial Parks."
The parks and other sites that address human rights violations across Taiwan will come under the remit of the human rights museum, which will also promote international exchange.
Cheng also indicated that with the 30th anniversary of the lifting of Martial Law in Taiwan, the establishment of the human rights museum also reflects the government's belief that victims of authoritarian rule should not be forgotten.
Planning for the museum was started under the previous government and it was originally supposed to be managed by an independent foundation, she said, adding that the new plan places it under the jurisdiction of a central government agency, showcasing the importance of the transitional justice effort by the current government.
