Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/23
By: J.F. Shen and Lillian Lin

Taipei, June 23 (CNA) The local government of the Matsu Islands, an outpost during

Matsu welcomes veterans looking for memories on islands

the years of military confrontation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, is offering to help surviving veterans who served on the islands between the 1950s and 1990s to search for certain people, special sites, or old memories of serving on the islands.

A spokesman for the Lienchiang county government’s Department of Culture said Tuesday that the small islands, about 10 nautical miles from the Chinese mainland, have welcomed an increasing number of tourists in recent years, but many of them are not aware that Matsu was an important military post for over four decades until 1992, when it shed its military role.

Calling it a special mission, the Department of Culture said it believes the initiative, which will last until the end of July, can help many former soldiers and residents of the islands to accomplish unfulfilled dreams of their youthful years.     [FULL  STORY]