Taiwan Garrison Command

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Taiwan Garrison Command


caption=
country= flagicon|TWN Republic of China
type= Secret police / state Security body
branch= Ministry of National Defense
dates= May, 1958 - August 1, 1992
specialization= Anti-government elements suppression
command_structure= Ministry of National Defense
size=
current_commander=
garrison= Taipei City
ceremonial_chief=
nickname= "Ching-tsung" (警總)
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders= ,,
anniversaries=
decorations=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=The Taiwan Garrison Command (zh-t|t=台灣警備總司令部) was a secret police/state security body which existed under the Republic of China military on Taiwan. The agency was established at the end of World War II, and operated throughout the Cold War. It was disbanded on August 1, 1992.

cite news
first=
last=
author=許紹軒
url=http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/may/17/today-fo3-2.htm
publisher=Liberty Times
title=小檔案／警總 戒嚴時代「東廠」
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=Saturday, May 17, 2008
accessdate=2008-06-13

]

Taiwan Garrison Command was an equivalence to the unified command in the United States of America. It was commanded by a three-star general and consisted with officers or enlisted persons from Army, Military Police, Political Warfare, or Intelligence Bureau; and members from police forces, or civilian recruits from other colleges after special training. Because of security reasons, its military draftees were tagged and interviewed before usual military recruit trainings.

While operational, this military command was responsible for suppressing activities viewed as promoting democracy and Taiwan independence. The reputation of Taiwan Garrison Command is so infamous that its name symbolizes the authoritarian rule that Taiwan was once subjected to.

cite news
first=
last=
author=許紹軒
url=http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/may/17/today-fo3.htm
publisher=Liberty Times
title=扁視察會餐 國防部請媒體吃「警總」便當
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=Saturday, May 17, 2008
accessdate=2008-06-13

]

History

The Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command (台灣省警備總司令部) was established on September 1 1945 at Chongqing, with Chen Yi as its first commanding general. On the same day, the Governor Office of Taiwan Province (; 1945-09-01--1947-05-16) was formed and headed by Chen Yi as well.

This command's major responsibilities included the repatriation of all Japanese nationals in Taiwan, transfer of authority over Taiwan to the Republic of China government, and maintenance of law and order. The agency was renamed as the All-Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command (台灣全省警備總司令部) and relocated to Taipei, Taiwan in 1947 and commanded by Peng Meng-chi ().

In the beginning of 1949, it was re-designated as "Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command" and headed by Chen Cheng (). On May 20, 1949, Chen Cheng, then the Chair of Taiwan Provincial Government and the Commanding General of Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command, declared martial law in the area of Taiwan Province.

cite news
first=
last=
author=李心怡
url=http://www.newtaiwan.com.tw/bulletinview.jsp?bulletinid=80923
publisher=New Taiwan News Weekly
title=戒嚴令根本無效 台灣人被裝肖仔
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=2008-06-26
accessdate=2008-06-30

] Immediately, the Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command was to enforce Martial Law within its area of responsibility, excluding Kinmen and Matsu of Fujian Province, which had been under Martial Law since December 10, 1948.

On August 15, 1949, it was further split into Southeast Military Governor Office (; 1949-08-15--1950-03-16) and Taiwan Provincial Security Command (台灣省保安司令部), which was again commanded by Peng Meng-chi. The Southeast Military Governor Office, headed by Chen Cheng, had control of four provinces: Jiangsu (江蘇), Chekiang (浙江), Fujian (福建) and Taiwan (臺灣); and was directly responsible for the systematic killing of thousands of Taiwanese social elites, as part of what became known as the 228 Incident.

In 1958, the Republic of China government underwent a series of restructuring, and Taiwan Provincial Security Command was merged with Taiwan Provincial Civil Defense Command (台灣省民防司令部), Taiwan Defense Command (台灣防衛總司令部), and Taipei Garrison Command (台北衛戌總司令部) and renamed Taiwan Garrison Command.

Taiwan Garrison Command continued to enforce Martial Law until July 14, 1987, the lift of Martial Law over Taipei City, Kaohsiung City and Taiwan Province by a presidential order from Chiang Ching-Kuo. On April 30 1991, President Lee Teng-hui declared the termination of the Period of Communist Rebellion and Taiwan Garrison Command again lost its other lawful justification.

This military organization was transformed and restructured into the "Coast Guard Command and Military Reserve District Command" on August 1, 1992.12]

cite news
first=
last=
author=邱燕玲
url=http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/apr/21/today-p1-2.htm
publisher=Liberty Times
title=仍有政治檔案 至今未尋獲
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=Monday, April 21, 2008
accessdate=2008-06-13

] The move effectively disbanded the Taiwan Garrison Command, under quiet orders from then President Lee Teng-hui.
*Coastal patrol duties were assumed by the Coastal Guard Command; and were later passed to the newly reformed Coast Guard Administration.
*Subordinate units for military reserve mobilization were regrouped into Military Reserve District Command, and later, the Reserve Command.
*Electronic intelligence units [cite web |year=1983
url=http://www.siliconvalley.com.tw/chinese/laws/rule/laws32100.htm
title=科學工業園區電腦媒體進出口登記查驗作業要點
work=科學工業園區管理局
language=Traditional Chinese
accessdate=2008-06-13] for telephone-wire-tapping and radio surveillance were assigned to the Military Intelligence Bureau.

cite news
first=
last=
author=宋朝欽
url=http://city.udn.com/54532/2897673
publisher=中國時報
title=警調監聽手機 沒人管
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=2008-06-08
accessdate=2008-06-13

]

cite news
first=
last=
author=呂昭隆
url=http://news.pchome.com.tw/politics/chinatimes/20080608/index-12128811029528124001.html
publisher=China Times
title=解嚴後 情治監聽 姚祖德控管18年
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=2008-06-08
accessdate=2008-06-13

]
*Duties to suppress unauthorized radio broadcasting were then transferred to the Telecommunication Directorate of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
*Functions for imprisoning political and dissents activists and re-educating gangsters without trial were terminated. All prison facilities were transferred to either the Military Police Command, or to the Culture Establishment Commission for memorial purposes.

cite news
first=
last=
author=羅添斌
url=http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/may/24/today-p5.htm
publisher=Liberty Times
title=警總單位 已移交或改制
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=Saturday, May 24, 2008
accessdate=2008-06-13

]

cite news
first=
last=
author=邱紹雯
url=http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/may/24/today-p4.htm
publisher=Liberty Times
title=坪林招徠遊客／前警總職訓中心 擬改建五星監獄飯店
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=Saturday, May 24, 2008
accessdate=2008-06-13

]
*The defense of Taipei City and riot control were taken over by the Military Police Command [cite web
url=http://mp.rocmp.org/eng/kind/tpi/
title=Garrison Military Police
publisher=Reserve Military Police in TAIWAN
language=English
accessdate=2008-06-13] [cite web
url=http://mp.rocmp.org/kind/tpi/
title=戍衛憲兵
publisher=中華民國後備憲兵論壇
work=導覽資料庫
language=Traditional Chinese
accessdate=2008-06-13] and the National Police Agency.
*The responsibility for censoring and confiscating questionable publications or newspapers

cite news
first=
last=
author=曾韋禎
url=http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/mar/9/today-o4.htm
publisher=Liberty Times
title=我是抓耙仔--一名台大中文系女學生之「追究自己」
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=Sunday, March 9, 2008
accessdate=2008-06-13

] went to the Government Information Office; such functions were later terminated after the abolishment of "the Law of Publications." [cite web
url=http://isbnfax.ncl.edu.tw/isbn/frmContent.asp?Id=29&callerpage=/isbn/frmIndex.asp&Year=88&Month=2
title=出版法廢止對我國圖書資料蒐集與保存之衝擊與因應
author=薛理桂
publisher=國家圖書館
work=國家圖書館館刊
language=Traditional Chinese
date=February 1999
accessdate=2008-06-13] [cite web
url=http://info.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=13006&ctNode=3736
title=出版法廢止後，媒體將無所限制，是否會影響國家安全、社會安寧？
author=
work=出版業務Q&A
language=Traditional Chinese
accessdate=2008-06-13]

It has been recently argued that the declaration of Martial Law in Taiwan is unconstitutional,

cite news
first=
last=
author=李心怡
url=http://www.newtaiwan.com.tw/bulletinview.jsp?bulletinid=80923
publisher=New Taiwan News Weekly
title=戒嚴令根本無效 台灣人被裝肖仔
language=Traditional Chinese
page=
date=2008-06-26
accessdate=2008-06-30

] by Hsieh Chung-min (謝聰敏), a former political prisoner and a former legislator of Democratic Progress Party. Hsieh is preparing such a constitutional appeal to the Constitutional Court on behalf of two fellow political prisoners, Hung Wu-hsiung(洪武雄)and Hu Xue-kuo(胡學古).

Involvement

Although a division under the military, TGC actually functioned as a secret police organization. It was actively involved in suppression of pro-democracy activists. Here are several famous cases: Peng Ming-min ()cite web
last=Peng
first=Ming-min
work= [http://www.hi-on.org.tw/ad/ATASTE.htm A TASTE OF FREEDOM]
title=Interrogation
date=January 1972
url=http://www.hi-on.org.tw/ad/ATASTE.htm#t9
accessdate=2008-07-02
language=English] and Kaohsiung Incident. Also, it was rumored to have been involved in many politically motivated assassinations/murders, such as the murder of Lin Yi-hsiung's family and the murder of Dr. Chen Wen-cheng.11]

References

ee also

* 228 Incident
* Kaohsiung Incident
* Lin Yi-hsiung
* White terror
* Military Police Command

External links

* [http://www.twgc.org/ Forum of Garrison, Military District, Coastal Patrol and Reserve] zh-tw
* [http://www.rocmp.org/ Republic of China Military Police Forum] zh-tw