228, White Terror, the Formosa Incident, and Nylon Deng: PART TWO - S5-E3

NOTE: This episode is not suitable for young children.


 


The story of Nylon Deng is too often painted in terms of
good/bad, black/white…but almost nothing is ever so binary.
January 1989: Deng is summoned to answer charges of
sedition/treason for publishing an idea for a constitution for
the “Republic of Taiwan.” He vows not to be taken alive. 


 


However, unlike almost every article about him, Formosa Files
isn’t going to stick to the script of “the police tried to
break in and he self-immolated.” Instead, we try to offer
some new perspectives on his fiery end. Was Deng a “martyr”? Were
he and his followers’ actions actually non-violent?  


 


Taiwanese independence and democracy activist
Nylon Deng (Cheng
Nan-jung 鄭南榕) will forever have a place in the
pantheon of Taiwanese democracy heroes. But heroes – of course –
are human.