Peter Wen-shiung Huang (, also known as Peter Ng; born 2 October 1937) is a Taiwanese

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

for

democratization Democratization, or democratisation, is the transition to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be a hybrid regime in transition from an authoritarian regime to a full ...

and

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

. Huang majored in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...

at the

National Chengchi University National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei. The university is also considered as the earliest public service training facility of the Republic of China. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subs ...

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 ...

and then served in the military for two years. In 1964, he applied to the graduate program in

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and studied there before transferring to a Ph.D. program at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1966.

Assassination attempt

On April 24, 1970, Huang and his brother-in-law,

Cheng Tzu-tsai Cheng Tzu-tsai (, born on 1 December 1936; also known as TT Deh) is a Taiwan-born architect and dissident who conspired with others in the of Chiang Ching-kuo, the son of Chiang Kai-shek, in New York City. Early life Cheng was born on 1 Decembe ...

, both members of the

World United Formosans for Independence The World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI) is an organization promoting Taiwan independence. It was established in 1970 by like-minded organizations in Canada, the U.S., Japan, Europe, and Taiwan. Its aim is to establish a Republic of ...

, were involved in the of then-Vice Premier

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 ...

(

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

's son) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Huang approached Chiang with a gun at the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...

, but a Diplomatic Security Service special agent pushed him out of the way, causing the bullet to strike the hotel's revolving doors. The World United Formosans for Independence later issued a statement disclaiming involvement. He pleaded guilty in a 1971 trial to charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm, but was granted bail before sentencing, and fled the United States. Cheng Tzu-tsai also jumped bail in 1971 after his conviction, fleeing to Sweden for asylum, but was extradited to the US in 1972, sentenced in 1973 to up to five years in prison and later served an additional prison term in Taiwan for illegal entry. Cheng Tzu-tsai and Peter Huang 2018-02-02

Cheng Tzu-tsai and Peter Huang 2018-02-02

Aftermath

Huang's action is considered a stimulus for political reform in Taiwan, which promotes the role of

Taiwanese people Taiwanese people may be generally considered the people of Taiwan who share a common culture, ancestry and speak Taiwanese Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka or indigenous Taiwanese languages as a mother tongue. Taiwanese people may also refer to the i ...

in the political arena. He was in hiding for 25 years, returning to Taiwan in 1996, after Taiwan's statute of limitations had run out on further prosecution for the assassination attempt as one of the last persons who had not been permitted to return to Taiwan for political reasons. Huang was prosecuted and served four months in jail for violating the 1987 National Security Law for illegal entry, since he did not have an entry visa when he returned to Taiwan in 1996. In 1998, Huang became the director of the

Taiwan Association for Human Rights The Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR; ) is a Taiwan based non-governmental organization which was established on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 1984. TAHR is the oldest independent human rights Human rights are mora ...

. In 2000, he was appointed as National Policy Advisor to the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

for human rights issues. He is also an avid supporter of the

Green Party Taiwan Green Party Taiwan is a political party in Taiwan established on 25 January 1996. Although the party is sympathetic to Taiwan nationalism and shares a number of centre-left positions with the Pan-Green Coalition, the party emphasizes campa ...

since its founding. Huang led

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...

Taiwan from 2009 through 2013. In 2012, he was given an Alumni Excellence Award by the National Chengchi University for his lifelong commitment to democracy, freedom, and social movements. Huang shouted “Let me stand up like a Taiwanese!” upon being arrested after the failed assassination attempt. This phrase was later referenced in the song title (無名英雄 Stand Up Like A Taiwanese) by rock band

Fire EX. Fire Ex. () is a punk rock band from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, founded in 2000, which sings in both Taiwanese Hokkien and Mandarin Chinese. The group consists of Sam (vocals), Orio (guitar), Pipi (bass), and KG (drums). The band is known for their soc ...

, as well as repeated several times at the end of the heavy metal song “Supreme Pain for the Tyrant” by

Chthonic The word chthonic (), or chthonian, is derived from the Ancient Greek word ''χθών, "khthon"'', meaning earth or soil. It translates more directly from χθόνιος or "in, under, or beneath the earth" which can be differentiated from Γῆ ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huang, Peter 1937 births Amnesty International people Cornell University alumni Failed assassins National Chengchi University alumni Living people People from Hsinchu County Taiwan independence activists Taiwanese exiles Taiwanese human rights activists Taiwanese revolutionaries University of Pittsburgh alumni

Assassination attempt

Aftermath

See also

References

External links