Chiang Kai-shek bears main responsibility for 228 Incident: Academia headStaff writer, with CNAThe head of Academia Historica said yesterday that Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) bears the greatest responsibility for the 228 Incident, noting that Chiang, who then led the National Government, sided with then-provincial governor Chen Yi (陳儀) and allowed the perpetrators to go unpunished. Academia Historica president Chen Yi-shen speaks at a press conference in Taipei yesterday. According to Chen Yi-shen, Chiang Kai-shek largely ignored dissenting voices and was highly selective in the information he chose to accept, preferring to listen to Chen Yi. Furthermore, when those responsible were later called to account, both Chen Yi and others, including Kaohsiung Fortress Headquarters chief Peng Meng-chi (彭孟緝), escaped punishment, he added. The combination of official complicity, the rapid deployment of troops, and the subsequent lack of accountability were major reasons why the 228 Incident became a deep scar in Taiwanese society, Chen Yi-shen said.

Source: Taipei Times February 26, 2026 17:15 UTC