| Taiwan Garrison Command | |
|---|---|
| 臺灣警備總司令部 | |
 | |
| Active | September 1945 – 1 August 1992 |
| Country |  Republic of China |
| Branch |  Ministry of National Defense |
| Type | Secret police / state Security body |
| Role | Suppression of anti-government elements |
| Part of | Republic of China Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Taipei City |
| Nickname | Ching-tsung (警總) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Peng Meng-chi,Chen Shou-shan,Chou Chung-nan |
| Insignia | |
| Logo of Taiwan Garrison Command |  |
TheTaiwan Garrison Command (Chinese:臺灣警備總司令部;pinyin:Táiwān Jǐngbèi Zǒngsīlìngbù) was asecret police andnational security body under theRepublic of China Armed Forces onTaiwan. The agency was established at the end ofWorld War II, and operated throughout theCold War. It was disbanded on 1 August 1992.[1]
Taiwan Garrison Command was responsible for suppressing activities viewed as promotingcommunism,democracy, andTaiwan independence.
Taiwan Garrison Command was commanded by a three-star general officer and contained both officers or enlisted personnel from the Army, Marine Corps, Military Police, Political Warfare, or Intelligence Bureau; and members from theNational Police Agency of theMinistry of the Interior, as well as civilian recruits from other colleges after special training. Because of security reasons, its military draftees were tagged and interviewed before the usual military recruit training.
Although officially a military division, Taiwan Garrison Command actually functioned as a secret police organization. It was actively involved in suppression of suspectedCommunist sympathizers orTaiwan Independence activists. Many pro-democracy activists were imprisoned as well. Famous cases include the arrest ofPeng Ming-min, theTaiyuan Incident, and theKaohsiung Incident. Also, it was rumored to have been involved in many politically motivated assassinations/murders, such as the murder ofLin Yi-hsiung's family and the murder of Dr.Chen Wen-chen.[2][3]
The reputation of Taiwan Garrison Command is sonotorious that its name symbolizes the authoritarian rule to which Taiwan was once subjected.[4]
The Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command (台灣省警備總司令部) was established on 1 September 1945 atChongqing, withChen Yi as its first commanding general. On the same day, theGovernor Office of Taiwan Province [zh] (1 September 1945 — 16 May 1947) was formed, and Chen Yi was appointed Governor of Taiwan.
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 toTaipei in 1947.Peng Meng-chi was appointed its new commanding general.
In the beginning of 1949, as the Republic of China government wasretreating to Taiwan in the final stages of theChinese Civil War, the Command was re-designated as "Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command" and headed byChen Cheng, who concurrently held the office of Governor of Taiwan. On 20 May 1949, Chen Cheng, in his capacity as commanding general for the province and its military governor, declaredmartial law in Taiwan.[5] Immediately, the Taiwan Provincial Garrison Command was ordered to enforce Martial Law within Taiwan, excluding the areasKinmen andMatsu ofFujian Province, which had been under Martial Law since 10 December 1948.
On 15 August 1949, it was further split into Southeast Military Governor Office (zh:東南軍政長官公署; 1949-08-15—1950-03-16) and Taiwan Provincial Security Command (台灣省保安司令部), with Peng Meng-chi appointed as commanding general. The Southeast Military Governor Office, headed by Chen Cheng, was responsible for the defense of four provinces:Jiangsu,Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan; and was directly responsible for the systematic killing of thousands of Taiwanese social elites, as part of what became known as theFebruary 28 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), becoming the Taiwan Garrison Command under the command ofHuang Chen-chiu, the commander of the defunct Taipei Garrison Command.
The Taiwan Garrison Command was involved in the 1980 murder of lawyer and opposition politician Lin I-hsiung and his family.[6]
Taiwan Garrison Command continued to enforce Martial Law until 14 July 1987, the lift of Martial Law overTaipei City,Kaohsiung City, andTaiwan Province by a presidential order fromChiang Ching-kuo.[7] On 30 April 1991, PresidentLee Teng-hui declared the termination of thePeriod 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 1 August 1992.[1][2] The move effectively disbanded the Taiwan Garrison Command, under quiet orders from then PresidentLee Teng-hui:
Thetransitional justice process began shortly after the Taiwan Garrison Command was disbanded.[7] TheTransitional Justice Commission is charged with overseeing the process and as of 2019 was still in operation.[18]
| Leadership |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | ||
| Equipment and vessels | ||
| Others | ||