Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Taiwan's Executive Yuan is planning to inaugurate an office by the end of May to ensure a smooth handover of the Transitional Justice Commission's (TJC) duties and facilitate subsequent efforts, according to a Cabinet official.
The Cabinet hopes to establish the office before the TJC's disbandment on May 30, the official said on Saturday on condition of anonymity, adding that matters such as staff recruitment were still being discussed.
The office will not only focus on tasks related to transitional justice, but will also handle human rights issues under a planned "transitional justice board," the official said.
Its establishment is part of a plan approved by the Cabinet in February to prepare for TJC's dissolution.
According to the proposal, the office will operate under the planned board and help the board review and coordinate duties and tasks handed over by the commission to different ministries and government agencies.
The planned board, which will be headed by the premier and convene regularly, will also continue promoting transitional justice and human rights issues in Taiwan, the Cabinet said at that time.
However, the Cabinet's plan to establish the "transitional justice board" is still being reviewed by the Legislature.
The Transitional Justice Commission was given a two-year mandate when it was established on May 31, 2018 in accordance with the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice, but has since had its operational life extended with the approval of the premier.
The commission is scheduled to release a "mission conclusion report" in May to summarize what it has achieved over the past four years, before its disbandment at the end of the month.
At an event on Saturday, TJC Acting Chairperson Yeh Hung-ling (葉虹靈) said the report is estimated to contain over 1 million words, detailing the tasks carried out by the commission, such as the exoneration of some 22,028 victims of political persecution during the martial law period.
The four-volume report will also provide advice for different government agencies as they take on TJC's duties to promote transitional justice starting in June, Yeh added.
In addition to the exoneration of former political prisoners, other TJC tasks include retrieving and exposing political archives during the martial law period, preserving historical sites of injustice, and promoting education pertaining to transitional justice and human rights.
