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| Anti-Communist Hero | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 反共義士 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 反共义士 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | anti-communist righteous man | ||||||
| |||||||
Anti-Communist Hero (Chinese:反共義士) was the title given by theRepublic of China government inTaiwan to defectors fromPeople's Republic of China during theKorean War and theCold War. The title was first given on 23 January 1954 to 14,000prisoners of war from thePeople's Volunteer Army who defected to Taiwan. Most of them were former Kuomintang soldiers taken captive by the communist forces during theChinese Civil War. The defectors weretattooed with anti-communist slogans and the Taiwanese flag before coming to Taiwan.[1] The memorial dayWorld Freedom Day (一二三自由日) was founded in their honor.
The title was later given to a number ofPLAAF defectors who also surrendered their aircraft, providing valuable insight into PRC aircraft technology. Many of these defectors were given financial rewards. The title was abolished following the end ofmartial law in Taiwan and the thawing ofcross-strait relations.[when?]