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Min Chao @wordsfromtaiwan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Fred Chin left Malaysia to study in Taiwan, unaware of the island nation's martial law realities in the late 1960s. He served 12 years in an offshore penal colony after being tortured and forced to sign a fake confession. He now devotes his life to defending human rights. www.bbc.com/audio/play/w...

bbc.com

BBC Audio | Witness History | When Taiwan’s ‘White Terror’ ended

In 1987 Taiwan finally lifted martial law after nearly four decades of authoritarian rule

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Min Chao @wordsfromtaiwan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

In 2022, the American Institute in Taiwan asked Chin to tell his story to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during her two-day visit. He showed her around a museum that was converted from a military prison and explained even though democracy is slower and messier, it is still the best system we have.

He asked her, “Why did you want to come to this place?”

Pelosi responded, “My whole life, I have upheld the ideals of international human rights.” She continued, explaining that she wanted to come to the human rights museum to understand what Taiwan was like before democracy.

When asked about the flaws of democracy, Chin responded, saying that even though authoritarian governments are often quicker and more efficient, they aren’t necessarily better. He said people in these systems have no opportunity to fight back. He explained even though democracy will be slower and messier, it is still the best system we have.

https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=4330

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