Editing February 28 incident (section)

== Death toll ==
Although 18,000–28,000 is widely cited as a broad death-toll as a result of the incident, various different figures have been given over time. In the immediate aftermath of the events, in addition to the Nanjing-based delegation, which cited 3,000–4,000, George Kerr cited a figure of 10,000 as being provided by various externally-based groups, a figure he cited in [[Formosa Betrayed (book)|Formosa Betrayed]], the first major book covering the incident in English which played a significant role in bringing it to light.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Kerr |first=George |title=Formosa Betrayed |publisher=Taiwan Publishing Co |year=1992 |edition=Revised |location=Upland, CA |pages=310}}</ref> The commonly cited range of 18,000–28,000 is based on an estimate made by a commission established in 1992 by then Premier [[Hau Pei-tsun]], whose final report was adopted in 2007 by Premier [[Su Tseng-chang]] as the official account of the incident.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-02-27 |title=Premier says 228 report is a definitive document - Taipei Times |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/02/27/2003350219 |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=www.taipeitimes.com}}</ref>

The 18,000–28,000 range has been challenged by several individuals, most prominently by  [[Hau Pei-tsun]], who in a letter published in the Chinese-language United Daily News in Feb. 2012, questioned whether “over 10,000 were killed” in the 228 Incident. Hau based his critique on the number of victims and their descendants who were claiming compensation for damages. Only around 1,000 people had put in claims for compensation as victims of the incident.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-11-29 |title=DPP questions former Premier Hau's 228 victim figures - The China Post |url=http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2012/02/29/333129/DPP-questions.htm |access-date=2023-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129014431/http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2012/02/29/333129/DPP-questions.htm |archive-date=November 29, 2014 }}</ref> However, others have contended that the veil of secrecy under the martial law period and taboo of discussing the matter had contributed to this low number, particularly as many descendants of victims may have been unaware that their relatives perished.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Another critique of the common figure came from Marvin C. H. Ho, the president of the Taipei Language Institute and a member of the commission that issued the report. Mr. Ho stated that among his colleagues writing the report, very few supported the higher figure of 28,000. However, at the same time, he critiqued the report for only limiting itself to events in 1947. Fellow commission member Lai Tse-han, a history professor who was in charge of drafting the report, suggested that the report was shifting some blame away from the Chiang family by not covering extensive violations of human rights during the period where they had undeniable knowledge and complicity in the events, namely the 1950s and 1960s. Professor Lai stated that ""A lot of people here don't know about the repression in the 50's and 60's... More people were killed at that time than during 2-28. Police just knocked on the door at midnight, and then the people inside just disappeared."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-13 |title=Taipei Journal; The Horror of 2-28: Taiwan Rips Open the Past - The New York Times |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/03/world/taipei-journal-the-horror-of-2-28-taiwan-rips-open-the-past.html |access-date=2023-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213014207/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/03/world/taipei-journal-the-horror-of-2-28-taiwan-rips-open-the-past.html |archive-date=December 13, 2018 }}</ref> This viewpoint is somewhat similar to that of Kerr, who cited a figure of 10,000, but stated that between 1947 and 1965, when ''Formosa Betrayed'' was published, that " If we add to this the thousands who have been seized and done away with since March, 1947, on the pretext that they were involved in the affair, the number may reach the 20,000 figure often given by Formosan writers."<ref name=":0" />