TAINAN (TVBS News) — Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Wednesday (Aug. 14) urged Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) to ensure the comfort women statue remains in Tainan, coinciding with the International Memorial Day for the "Comfort Women."
In 1992, the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation (婦援會) confirmed that 58 former Taiwanese comfort women had suffered severe sexual abuse by Japanese soldiers during wartime. These women came from impoverished backgrounds, including farmers, fishermen, workers, and vendors.
Historical documents and survivor testimonies indicate that over 2,000 Taiwanese women were forced into sexual slavery between 1938 and 1945, with victims ranging from 14 to over 30 years old. Taiwan's last comfort woman passed away in 2023, leaving their pursuit of justice unfulfilled.
To mark International Comfort Women Memorial Day, observed every Aug.14, the Tainan City Comfort Women Human Rights Equality Promotion Association (台南市慰安婦人權平等促進協會) held a memorial service at the statue.
Ma attended the memorial service for the sixth consecutive year and noted that the land lease for the statue had expired. He appealed to Mayor Huang to find a suitable place for Taiwan’s sole comfort women statue.
Tainan City Government spokesperson Tien Ling-hu (田玲瑚) explained that the statue, installed six years ago by then-Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) Tainan City Councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), is private property. The government respects the property owner’s decision regarding its placement.
Ma criticized former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for her perceived inaction on the comfort women issue, accusing her of hypocrisy for neither addressing the issue nor seeking compensation from the Japanese government. He described her actions as “shocking and regrettable.”
KMT legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh also emphasized that the statue must be relocated this year and expressed hope that Mayor Huang would provide a small park for its placement, warning that it might otherwise be moved to another county.
