January 15, 2018
No.005
Mr. Rainer Eppelmann, Chairman of Germany’s Federal Foundation for the Study of Communist Dictatorship in East Germany, is leading a three-member delegation for a visit from January 15 to 19 at the invitation of the ROC government.
The delegation will call at the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Culture, Mainland Affairs Council, Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, German Institute Taipei, Goethe Institute Taipei, and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also hold a luncheon in their honor. The members will visit such sites of cultural and economic interest as the National Palace Museum, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, National 228 Memorial Museum, Preparatory Office of the National Human Rights Museum, and Taipei 101.
Chairman Eppelmann was awarded the Gegen Vergessen-Für Demokratie Prize in 2009 for his steadfast pursuit of democracy and freedom in East Germany before and after Germany’s peaceful unification in 1989, as well as his dedication to promoting transitional justice after unification. Dr. Robert Grünbaum, who is Deputy Director of the foundation, researches peaceful power transitions, and Dr. Sabine Kuder serves as head of exhibitions and international relations at the foundation.
The foundation was established in 1998 by a national congressional resolution to clarify historical truths and promote human rights education. The ROC government regards transitional justice as one of its policy priorities, and the visit will help provide insights into Germany’s experience in the promotion of social reconciliation. (E)