Currently the victims' family of this historical event asked the former body guard of old Chiang Mr. Hau to apologize for saying the total dead number does not exceed 500. Because only about 500 family members got compensated by the government after 1995, more than 48 years later.

I did not know this event when I was in Taiwan between 50s to middle 70s. After I came to US, I knew this event by reading the book "Formosa Betrayed" by George H. Kerr.  George was a US diplomatic officer in Taiwan during the event.  The book estimates about 10,000 to 20,000 were killed. One paragraph of the book is very shocking:

Many mainland Chinese at Taipei were of course shocked by the brutality of this campaign, but few were surprised. One prominent person, visibly moved, told me that he had witnessed the notorious "Rape of Nanking" by the Japanese in 1937, but that this surpassed it, for the Nanking rape was a product of war, a wild outburst of wartime passion, whereas this was coldly calculated revenge, perpetrated by the Nationalist Government upon its own people.

 Then I also read the New York Times published on March 29, 1947 by reporter Tillman Durdin.  The article reported that about 10,000 Formosan were killed.

So I think the number 10,000 to 20,000 is a correct range in current Taiwanese book.  Then why are only 500 family members got compensated after 1995.  There are several reasons:

                1) After 48 years, the parents of  young victims either are not alive or not live in Taiwan.  And the young victims are the major number of the total death.

               2) After 48 years, some of the sons or daughters of old victims do not live in Taiwan.

               3) To get the compensation, the victims family needs to present some witness and paper and they are not easy to get.

Besides the victims of the 228 1947 event, Chiang's regime also setup the spy system everywhere in Taiwan and overseas.  Any civilian dared to criticize Chiang's regime, these spy would report them to the authority and the critiziers would get into trouble.  That is so called white terror.  The white terror also occurred in the Chinese civil war during 1927 to 1948.  Old Chiang just migrated the spy system from China to Taiwan.

I do not think any amount of money can compensate the victim except the oppressors got punished for their crime.  So I think there is still no justice in Taiwan.  At least I know one of my oppressors (college classmate) is still enjoying a high social rank in Taiwan.

 Here is the link for George's book