Taiwan Garrison Command
Encyclopedia
The Taiwan Garrison Command was a secret police
/state security
body which existed under the Republic of China
military on Taiwan
. The agency was established at the end of World War II
, and operated throughout the Cold War
. It was disbanded on August 1, 1992.
Taiwan Garrison Command was an equivalence to the unified command
in the United States of America. It was commanded by a three-star general and consisted with officers or enlisted persons from Army, Military Police, Political Warfare, or Intelligence Bureau; and members from police forces, or civilian recruits from other colleges after special training. Because of security reasons, its military draftees were tagged and interviewed before usual military recruit trainings.
While operational, this military command was responsible for suppressing activities viewed as promoting democracy
and Taiwan independence
. The reputation of Taiwan Garrison Command is so infamous that its name symbolizes the authoritarian rule to which Taiwan was once subjected.
, with Chen Yi
as its first commanding general. On the same day, the Governor Office of Taiwan Province
(:zh:台灣省行政長官公署; 1945-09-01--1947-05-16) was formed and headed by Chen Yi as well.
This command's major responsibilities included the repatriation of all Japanese nationals in Taiwan, transfer of authority over Taiwan to the Republic of China government, and maintenance of law and order. The agency was renamed as the All-Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command (台灣全省警備總司令部) and relocated to Taipei, Taiwan in 1947 and commanded by Peng Meng-chi (:zh:彭孟緝).
In the beginning of 1949, it was re-designated as "Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command" and headed by Chen Cheng
(:zh:陳誠). On May 20, 1949, Chen Cheng
, then the Chair of Taiwan Provincial Government and the Commanding General of Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command, declared martial law
in the area of Taiwan Province. Immediately, the Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command was to enforce Martial Law within its area of responsibility, excluding Kinmen
and Matsu
of Fujian Province, which had been under Martial Law since December 10, 1948.
On August 15, 1949, it was further split into Southeast Military Governor Office (:zh:東南軍政長官公署; 1949-08-15--1950-03-16) and Taiwan Provincial Security Command (台灣省保安司令部), which was again commanded by Peng Meng-chi. The Southeast Military Governor Office, headed by Chen Cheng
, had control of four provinces: Jiangsu
(江蘇), Chekiang
(浙江), Fujian (福建) and Taiwan
(臺灣); and was directly responsible for the systematic killing of thousands of Taiwanese social elites, as part of what became known as the 228 Incident
.
In 1958, the Republic of China government underwent a series of restructuring, and Taiwan Provincial Security Command was merged with Taiwan Provincial Civil Defense Command (台灣省民防司令部), Taiwan Defense Command (台灣防衛總司令部), and Taipei Garrison Command (台北衛戌總司令部) and renamed Taiwan Garrison Command.
Taiwan Garrison Command continued to enforce Martial Law until July 14, 1987, the lift of Martial Law over Taipei City, Kaohsiung City and Taiwan Province
by a presidential order from Chiang Ching-Kuo
. On April 30, 1991, President Lee Teng-hui
declared the termination of the Period of Communist Rebellion and Taiwan Garrison Command again lost its other lawful justification.
This military organization was transformed and restructured into the "Coast Guard Command and Military Reserve District Command" on August 1, 1992. The move effectively disbanded the Taiwan Garrison Command, under quiet orders from then President Lee Teng-hui
.
It has been recently argued that the declaration of Martial Law in Taiwan is unconstitutional, by Hsieh Chung-min (謝聰敏), a former political prisoner and a former legislator of Democratic Progressive Party
. Hsieh is preparing such a constitutional appeal to the Constitutional Court on behalf of two fellow political prisoners, Hung Wu-hsiung(洪武雄)and Hu Xue-kuo(胡學古).
(:zh:彭明敏), Taiyuan Incident
, and Kaohsiung Incident
. Also, it was rumored to have been involved in many politically motivated assassinations/murders, such as the murder of Lin Yi-hsiung
's family and the murder of Dr. Chen Wen-cheng.
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
/state security
State Security
State Security can refer to:* general concepts of security agency or national security* Committee for State Security * State Security * State Security...
body which existed under the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
military on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. The agency was established at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and operated throughout the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. It was disbanded on August 1, 1992.
Taiwan Garrison Command was an equivalence to the unified command
Unified command
Unified command may refer to:* Unified Combatant Command, military* Unified Command , incident command system* Unified Command , command system in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill...
in the United States of America. It was commanded by a three-star general and consisted with officers or enlisted persons from Army, Military Police, Political Warfare, or Intelligence Bureau; and members from police forces, or civilian recruits from other colleges after special training. Because of security reasons, its military draftees were tagged and interviewed before usual military recruit trainings.
While operational, this military command was responsible for suppressing activities viewed as promoting democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
. The reputation of Taiwan Garrison Command is so infamous that its name symbolizes the authoritarian rule to which Taiwan was once subjected.
History
The Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command (台灣省警備總司令部) was established on September 1, 1945 at ChongqingChongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, with Chen Yi
Chen Yi (Kuomintang)
Chen Yi and later Gongqia , sobriquet Tuisu ; 1883 – June 18, 1950) was the Chief Executive and Garrison Commander of Taiwan after it was surrendered by Japan to the Republic of China, which acted on behalf of the Allied Powers, in 1945...
as its first commanding general. On the same day, the Governor Office of Taiwan Province
Taiwan Province
Taiwan Province is one of the two administrative divisions referred to as provinces and is controlled by the Republic of China . The province covers approximately 73% of the territory controlled by the Republic of China...
(:zh:台灣省行政長官公署; 1945-09-01--1947-05-16) was formed and headed by Chen Yi as well.
This command's major responsibilities included the repatriation of all Japanese nationals in Taiwan, transfer of authority over Taiwan to the Republic of China government, and maintenance of law and order. The agency was renamed as the All-Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command (台灣全省警備總司令部) and relocated to Taipei, Taiwan in 1947 and commanded by Peng Meng-chi (:zh:彭孟緝).
In the beginning of 1949, it was re-designated as "Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command" and headed by Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng , was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main National Revolutionary Army commanders during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. After moving to Taiwan at the end of the Civil War, he served as the Governor of Taiwan Province, Vice President and...
(:zh:陳誠). On May 20, 1949, Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng , was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main National Revolutionary Army commanders during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. After moving to Taiwan at the end of the Civil War, he served as the Governor of Taiwan Province, Vice President and...
, then the Chair of Taiwan Provincial Government and the Commanding General of Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command, declared martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
in the area of Taiwan Province. Immediately, the Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command was to enforce Martial Law within its area of responsibility, excluding Kinmen
Kinmen
Kinmen , also known as Quemoy , is a small archipelago of several islands administered by the Republic of China : Greater Kinmen, Lesser Kinmen, and some islets. Administratively, it is Kinmen County of Fujian Province, ROC. The county is claimed by the People's Republic of China as part of its...
and Matsu
Matsu Islands
The Matsu Islands are a minor archipelago of 19 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County , Fujian Province of the Republic of China . Only a small area of what is historically Lienchiang County is under the control of the ROC...
of Fujian Province, which had been under Martial Law since December 10, 1948.
On August 15, 1949, it was further split into Southeast Military Governor Office (:zh:東南軍政長官公署; 1949-08-15--1950-03-16) and Taiwan Provincial Security Command (台灣省保安司令部), which was again commanded by Peng Meng-chi. The Southeast Military Governor Office, headed by Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng , was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main National Revolutionary Army commanders during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. After moving to Taiwan at the end of the Civil War, he served as the Governor of Taiwan Province, Vice President and...
, had control of four provinces: Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
(江蘇), Chekiang
Chekiang Province, Republic of China
Chekiang Province, Republic of China was abolished after the Republic of China Army, Republic of China government officials and local residents were evacuated from Tachen to Taiwan in 1955 following the ROC's military defeat to People's Liberation Army forces during the Battle of Dachen...
(浙江), Fujian (福建) and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(臺灣); and was directly responsible for the systematic killing of thousands of Taiwanese social elites, as part of what became known as the 228 Incident
228 Incident
The 228 Incident, also known as the 228 Massacre, was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that began on February 27, 1947, and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang government. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from 10,000 to 30,000 or more...
.
In 1958, the Republic of China government underwent a series of restructuring, and Taiwan Provincial Security Command was merged with Taiwan Provincial Civil Defense Command (台灣省民防司令部), Taiwan Defense Command (台灣防衛總司令部), and Taipei Garrison Command (台北衛戌總司令部) and renamed Taiwan Garrison Command.
Taiwan Garrison Command continued to enforce Martial Law until July 14, 1987, the lift of Martial Law over Taipei City, Kaohsiung City and Taiwan Province
Taiwan Province
Taiwan Province is one of the two administrative divisions referred to as provinces and is controlled by the Republic of China . The province covers approximately 73% of the territory controlled by the Republic of China...
by a presidential order from Chiang Ching-Kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo , Kuomintang politician and leader, was the son of President Chiang Kai-shek and held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China...
. On April 30, 1991, President Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
declared the termination of the Period of Communist Rebellion and Taiwan Garrison Command again lost its other lawful justification.
This military organization was transformed and restructured into the "Coast Guard Command and Military Reserve District Command" on August 1, 1992. The move effectively disbanded the Taiwan Garrison Command, under quiet orders from then President Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
.
- Coastal patrol duties were assumed by the Coastal Guard Command; and were later passed to the newly reformed Coast Guard Administration.
- Subordinate units for military reserve mobilization were regrouped into Military Reserve District Command, and later, the Reserve Command.
- Electronic intelligence units for telephone-wire-tapping and radio surveillance were assigned to the Military Intelligence Bureau.
- Duties to suppress unauthorized radio broadcasting were then transferred to the Telecommunication Directorate of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
- Functions for imprisoning political and dissents activists and re-educating gangsters without trial were terminated. All prison facilities were transferred to either the Military Police CommandRepublic of China Military PoliceThe Republic of China Military Police is a military police body under the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China . Unlike military police in many other countries, ROCMP is a separate branch of the ROC Armed Forces.-Warlords Era:...
, or to the Culture Establishment Commission for memorial purposes. - Task of riot control were shared by the National Police Agency and the Military Police CommandRepublic of China Military PoliceThe Republic of China Military Police is a military police body under the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China . Unlike military police in many other countries, ROCMP is a separate branch of the ROC Armed Forces.-Warlords Era:...
. - The defense of Taipei City were taken over by the Military Police CommandRepublic of China Military PoliceThe Republic of China Military Police is a military police body under the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China . Unlike military police in many other countries, ROCMP is a separate branch of the ROC Armed Forces.-Warlords Era:...
. - The responsibility for censoring and confiscating questionable publications or newspapers went to the Government Information OfficeGovernment Information OfficeThe Government Information Office is a cabinet-level agency of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China in charge of promoting government policies and regulating domestic media.-History:...
; such functions were later terminated after the abolishment of "the Law of Publications."
It has been recently argued that the declaration of Martial Law in Taiwan is unconstitutional, by Hsieh Chung-min (謝聰敏), a former political prisoner and a former legislator of Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
. Hsieh is preparing such a constitutional appeal to the Constitutional Court on behalf of two fellow political prisoners, Hung Wu-hsiung(洪武雄)and Hu Xue-kuo(胡學古).
Involvement
Although a division under the military, TGC actually functioned as a secret police organization. It was actively involved in suppression of pro-democracy activists. Here are several famous cases: Peng Ming-minPeng Ming-min
Peng Ming-min is a noted Taiwan independence activist and politician. Arrested for sedition in 1964 for printing a manifesto advocating Taiwanese independence, he dramatically escaped from Taiwan to the United States and after 22 years in exile, returned to became the Democratic Progressive...
(:zh:彭明敏), Taiyuan Incident
Taiyuan Incident
Taiyuan Incident , was an act of anti-government movement that involves political prisoners and prison guards of Taiyuan Prison, as well as some aboriginal youths sympathetic to their cause...
, and Kaohsiung Incident
Kaohsiung Incident
The Kaohsiung Incident also known as the Formosa Incident, the Meilidao Incident or the Formosa Magazine incident was the result of pro-democracy demonstrations that occurred in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on December 10, 1979....
. Also, it was rumored to have been involved in many politically motivated assassinations/murders, such as the murder of Lin Yi-hsiung
Lin Yi-hsiung
Lin Yi-hsiung who sued the ruling KMT party for electoral fraud. Lin was elected a member of Taiwan Provincial Assembly in Guo's old electorate in 1977.-Lin Family Massacre:...
's family and the murder of Dr. Chen Wen-cheng.
See also
- 228 Incident228 IncidentThe 228 Incident, also known as the 228 Massacre, was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan that began on February 27, 1947, and was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang government. Estimates of the number of deaths vary from 10,000 to 30,000 or more...
- Kaohsiung IncidentKaohsiung IncidentThe Kaohsiung Incident also known as the Formosa Incident, the Meilidao Incident or the Formosa Magazine incident was the result of pro-democracy demonstrations that occurred in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on December 10, 1979....
- Lin Yi-hsiungLin Yi-hsiungLin Yi-hsiung who sued the ruling KMT party for electoral fraud. Lin was elected a member of Taiwan Provincial Assembly in Guo's old electorate in 1977.-Lin Family Massacre:...
- White terrorWhite TerrorWhite Terror is the violence carried out by reactionary groups as part of a counter-revolution. In particular, during the 20th century, in several countries the term White Terror was applied to acts of violence against real or suspected socialists and communists.-Historical origin: the French...
- Military Police CommandRepublic of China Military PoliceThe Republic of China Military Police is a military police body under the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China . Unlike military police in many other countries, ROCMP is a separate branch of the ROC Armed Forces.-Warlords Era:...
- Taipei Broadcasting StationTaipei Broadcasting StationTaipei Broadcasting Station or Radio Taipei is a government owned radio station in the Republic of China. It has been in operation since July 7, 1961 under the direction of the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government...