April 8, 2009
Reported by Lin Yi-ying
Written by Lydia Ma

On April 7, 1989 Deng Nan-jung set himself on fire as he fought for freedom of speech in Taiwan. At the time, his daughter Deng Ju-mei was only nine-years-old. Now 29 and seeking to break her silence, Deng Ju-mei made an appearance during the memorial service commemorating the 20th anniversary of her father's death.

Besides speaking to today's youth on what they can do for the country for the next decade, Deng also hoped that April 7th could officially be remembered in Taiwan as "Freedom of Speech Day."

To protect "100 percent freedom of speech," Deng founded Freedom Era Weekly on March 12, 1984 and began promoting democracy and human rights in Taiwan. He also supported establishing a new country, and became famous later on for his legendary statement, "My name is Deng Nan-jung, I support independence for Taiwan." His resolute, fearless, public, and loud statement caused fear and panic in the Nationalist (KMT) government. In response, it used its powers and the judiciary to destroy Deng and force him to submit.

"The KMT will never catch me, it will only find my dead body!" said Deng. Sure enough, On April 7, 1989, Deng set himself on fire as riot police attempted to break into his office following his 71 days of self-imposed isolation. He was only 42 years old at the time of his death.

Just as everyone around the country was commemorating Deng Nan-jung's contribution to Taiwanese democracy, the Ma administration was getting ready to toughen Taiwan's Assembly and Parade Law and sending a revised version to the legislature for review. The government's actions were met with great disapproval and heavily criticized by Taiwan Association for Human Rights, which claimed it as an evil legislation.

Taipei Times also reported on Deng's anniversary. For more information on Deng's life and legacy, visit http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/04/05/2003440288.

Taiwan Church News