Asia Week 2007
The Democratic Culture of Taiwan

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 Dr. Peng Ming-min - 彭明敏

Born in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation period, Dr. Peng Ming-min first received his primary education in Taiwan before going to Japan for secondary school and university.  During World War II, he studied law and political science at the Imperial Tokyo University.  In 1945 he left Tokyo for the countryside in order to avoid the American bombing of Japan’s capital.  After reaching Nagasaki, Dr. Peng lost his left arm in a bombing raid and witnessed the atomic blast that destroyed Nagasaki.  At the end of the World War II as the Kuomintang (KMT) army began arriving from China, Dr. Peng returned to Taiwan in time to witness the KMT’s brutal month-long massacre.  The looting and violence perpetrated by the KMT left a lasting impression on Dr. Peng and many Taiwanese.    As a survivor of one of the most horrific chapters of world history, Dr. Peng has remained committed to peace throughout his life. 

After completing his education abroad, Dr. Peng returned to Taiwan where he embarked on a brilliant academic and public career.  In 1957, at age 34 Dr. Peng became the youngest full professor at the National Taiwan University during the post-war period. 

In 1964, Dr. Peng and his students issued “A Manifesto to Save Taiwan.” While revolutionary at the time, many of his proposals in the Manifesto have become government policy today, leading many observers to hail Dr. Peng as the “Father of Democracy and Independence” in Taiwan.  However, before the Manifesto could be distributed, Dr. Peng and his students were arrested.  Dr. Peng was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment by a military court.  His case attracted worldwide attention prompting Amnesty International, Professor John K. Fairbank, Dr. Henry Kissinger and many others to express their concern to the KMT regime.  Bowing to the increasing international pressure, Chiang Kai-shek released Dr. Peng from military prison 14 months later, but placed him under house arrest for life with strict surveillance.

In January 1970, Dr. Peng dramatically escaped to Sweden where he was granted political asylum.  Despite strenuous objections from the KMT government, the United States granted Dr. Peng a visa and he arrived in Michigan in August 1970.  During his two decades of exile Dr. Peng had lectured at the University of Michigan, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and the University of London.  In 1972 Dr. Peng published a personal memoir entitled A Taste of Freedom, which was later translated into Chinese.  His book has become a major source of hope and inspiration for many Taiwanese around the world.

When President Lee Teng-hui finally granted a general amnesty for political offenders in 1992, Dr. Peng made immediate plans to return to Taiwan.  After 23 years of exile abroad, Dr. Peng returned to Taiwan.  On September 28, 1995, after an arduous two-tiered nomination process involving 49 public debates around Taiwan, the Democratic Progressive Party nominated Dr. Peng as the candidate for Taiwan’s first presidential elections in March 1996. 

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