2020-01-23 Thu

January 23 is celebrated as World Freedom Day in Taiwan. This Memorial Day marks the return of Taiwanese POWs after the end of the Korean War. The celebration is coordinated by the World League for Freedom and Democracy.

On January 23, 1954, over 14,000 Communist Chinese prisoners of the Korean War landed in the Port of Keelung, Taiwan. They grew disillusioned with Communist ideals and decided to seek freedom in Taiwan instead of returning to mainland China.

That same year representatives of Taiwan, the Philippines, and South Korea founded the Asian People's Anti-Communist League (APACL). In 1990, the organization was renamed the World League for Freedom and Democracy (WLFD). WLFD is an international NGO dedicated to promoting the values of democracy and freedom.

The Taiwanese chapter of the APACL established World Freedom Day (originally 123 Freedom Day) to mark the anniversary of the return of prisoners of war and celebrate freedom and democracy. The main World Freedom Day event is held in Taipei, Taiwan. It is visited by WLFD delegates from all over the world.

The celebration usually includes a congratulatory message delivered by the president of the Republic of China and cultural performances. As a part of the celebration, the Taiwanese Post issued a special commemorative stamp in the year 1984 with the denomination of 18 Taiwanese new dollars.

The stamp was issued to commemorate the 30th anniversary of World Freedom Day and depicts nations of the world demonstrating support of freedom. The stamp is inscribed with the message “World Freedom Day: For the Freedom of Mankind” in Roman and Chinese letters on the top along with the name of the country and the denomination value at the bottom.

Image Courtesy: https://colnect.com/

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