The Taiwan Garrison Command () was a
secret police
Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic ...
/
national security
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military att ...
body which existed under the
Republic of China Armed Forces on
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
. The agency was established at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, and operated throughout the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
. It was disbanded on 1 August 1992.
Taiwan Garrison Command was responsible for suppressing activities viewed as promoting
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose g ...
and
Taiwan independence
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...
.
Organization
Taiwan Garrison Command was commanded by a three-star general officer and contained both officers or enlisted personnel from the Army, Marine Corps, Military Police, Political Warfare, or Intelligence Bureau; and members from the
National Police Agency of the
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministr ...
, as well as civilian recruits from other colleges after special training. Because of security reasons, its military draftees were tagged and interviewed before the usual military recruit training.
Involvement
Although officially a military division, Taiwan Garrison Command actually functioned as a secret police organization. It was actively involved in suppression of suspected
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...
sympathizers or
Taiwan Independence
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...
activists. Many pro-democracy activists were imprisoned as well. Famous cases include the arrest of
Peng Ming-min, the
Taiyuan Incident, and the
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-chen.
The reputation of Taiwan Garrison Command is so
notorious that its name symbolizes the authoritarian rule to which Taiwan was once subjected.
History
Origins
The Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command (台灣省警備總司令部) was established on 1 September 1945 at
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...
, 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 Chen Yi was concurrently appointed Governor of Taiwan.
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
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
in 1947. Peng Meng-chi (
:zh:彭孟緝) was appointed its new commanding general.
After the Retreat to Taiwan
In the beginning of 1949, as the Republic of China government was
retreating to Taiwan in the final stages of the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...
, the Command was re-designated as "Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command" and headed by
Chen Cheng
Chen Cheng (; ; January 4, 1898 – March 5, 1965) was a Chinese political and military leader, and one of the main commanders of the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War.
After movi ...
, who concurrently held the office of Governor of Taiwan. On 20 May 1949, Chen Cheng, in his capacity as commanding general for the province and its military governor, declared
martial law in Taiwan
Martial law in Taiwan () refers to the periods in the history of Taiwan after World War II during control by the Republic of China Armed Forces of the Kuomintang-led Government of the Republic of China regime. The term is specifically used ...
.
Immediately, the Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command was ordered to enforce Martial Law within Taiwan, excluding the areas
Kinmen and
Matsu of
Fujian Province
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
, which had been under Martial Law since 10 December 1948.
On 15 August 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), with Peng Meng-chi appointed as commanding general. The Southeast Military Governor Office, headed by Chen Cheng, was responsible for the defense of four provinces:
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with it ...
,
Chekiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Ji ...
,
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...
and Taiwan; and was directly responsible for the systematic killing of thousands of Taiwanese social elites, as part of what became known as the
February 28 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), becoming the Taiwan Garrison Command under the command of
Huang Chen-chiu, the commander of the defunct Taipei Garrison Command.
Disbanding
Taiwan Garrison Command continued to enforce Martial Law until 14 July 1987, the lift of Martial Law over
Taipei City
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
,
Kaohsiung City
Kaohsiung City ( Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Ka ...
, and
Taiwan Province by a presidential order from
Chiang Ching-kuo
Chiang Ching-kuo (27 April 1910 – 13 January 1988) was a politician of the Republic of China after its retreat to Taiwan. The eldest and only biological son of former president Chiang Kai-shek, he held numerous posts in the government ...
.
On 30 April 1991, President
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui (; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese statesman and economist who served as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under Constitution of the Republic of China, the 1947 C ...
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 1 August 1992.
The move effectively disbanded the Taiwan Garrison Command, under quiet orders from then President
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui (; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese statesman and economist who served as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under Constitution of the Republic of China, the 1947 C ...
:
*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 .
*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 Command, or to the Culture Establishment Commission for memorial purposes.
*Task of riot control were shared by the
National Police Agency and the
Military Police Command.
*The defense of
Taipei City
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
were taken over by the
Military Police Command.
*The responsibility for censoring and confiscating questionable publications or newspapers
went to the
Government Information Office; such functions were later terminated after the abolishment of "the Law of Publications."
Transitional justice
The
transitional justice process began shortly after the Taiwan Garrison Command was disbanded.
The
Transitional Justice Commission
The Transitional Justice Commission (TJC; ) was an independent government agency of the Republic of China (Taiwan) active from 31 May 2018 to 30 May 2022 based on the Act on Promoting Transitional Justice. The commission is responsible for the i ...
is charged with overseeing the process and as of 2019 was still in operation.
See also
*
February 28 incident
*
Kaohsiung Incident
*
Lin Yi-hsiung
*
Military Police Command
*
Republic of China Armed Forces
*
Taipei Broadcasting Station
*
White Terror (Taiwan)
References
External links
Forum of Garrison, Military District, Coastal Patrol and ReserveRepublic of China Military Police Forum
{{Authority control
Taiwan under Republic of China rule
Military history of the Republic of China (1912–1949)
Secret police
1958 establishments in Taiwan
1992 disestablishments in Taiwan
Anti-communist organizations
Taiwanese intelligence agencies
White Terror (Taiwan)