A Taiwanese army officer has been punished for screening The Eight Hundred, a mainland Chinese war film depicting Kuomintang (KMT) forces fighting Japanese troops during World War II.
The punishment has triggered a political row on the island over Beijing’s state-led messaging to sway opinions in Taiwan as well as historical interpretation and military education on the island.
The controversy emerged after ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Wang Ting-yu revealed during a legislative meeting this week that earlier this year a battalion commander in the Taiwanese army’s 153rd Brigade had ordered the film be shown to troops.
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The unit, part of the Sixth Army Corps based in Yilan, later drew scrutiny for the screening.
On Monday, Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, Taiwan’s defence minister, said the screening had been directed by the battalion commander and not initiated at the company level.
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This prompted Wang to question why a film seen as a Communist Party “united front” production and meant to influence Taiwan had been played by and for the island’s military.
