Filming the Sanxashan Incident: Wei Te-Sheng Embarks on the Rescue Route to Search for Plane Wreckage

(CNA reporter Lu Tai-cheng, Taitung County, July 7) After World War II ended, a transport plane carrying repatriated Japanese prisoners of war crashed on Sanxashan, resulting in the deaths of 51 people, including rescue personnel. Director Wei Te-Sheng plans to turn this poignant chapter of Taiwan's WWII history into a film. Yesterday, he personally trekked the old rescue route in search of the plane's wreckage.

Yesterday morning, Wei Te-Sheng, accompanied by his art team, Hsu Shun-lung, chairman of the preparatory committee for the Sanxashan Volunteer Memorial Association, relatives of the deceased rescue personnel, current Guanshan Township Yuehmei Village Chief Li Kuang-hsiang, and staff from the Guanshan Workstation of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Taitung Branch, followed the route taken by the rescue team to the crash site.

In an interview with CNA, Wei Te-Sheng stated that actual filming on-site would be difficult due to the long journey. However, he needed to understand the route to identify potential alternative filming locations or how to simulate the environment in a studio. Therefore, he brought his art team to personally experience the environment, documenting the terrain and any distinctive features.

Li Kuang-hsiang, a representative of the victims' families, shared that one of the 26 deceased rescue team members was his grandfather. He had never visited the site before and had always told himself, "I must go up and see Grandpa." He felt a profound significance in visiting the place where his grandfather remained, and he hoped for the safety of everyone on the expedition.

The group ascended the mountain yesterday, following the historical rescue route: Jiemoushan - Meichi - Jiaping Lake - Great Meadow - Lakuyin Creek, to scout for the plane wreckage. They are expected to reach the wreckage site on July 8th and descend from Sanxashan towards Jiaping Lake and Xiangyang Cabin on July 9th.

In August 1945, at the end of World War II, a bomber plane escorting American and Allied POWs repatriated by Japan crashed near Sanxashan in the Central Mountain Range one month later.

On board were 11 Americans, 4 Dutch, 5 Australians, and 5 crew members, all of whom perished, totaling 25 fatalities.

The Guanshan Village (now Guanshan Township) residents who went up for the rescue included 12 Amis people, 1 Hokkien person, 1 Hakka person, 1 Pingpu person, 1 Bunun person, 1 Beinan person, 2 Japanese police officers, and 7 Japanese gendarmes, totaling 26 deceased. (Editor: Chen Jen-hua) 1150707

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