As predicted, the investigation led by US forensic specialist Dr. Henry Lee (
Lee confirmed that President Chen and Vice President Lu were shot. According to Lee, the bullets were fired outside of the jeep and punched a hole in the windshield. Despite Lee's scientific analysis, the pan-blue camp still held a press conference yesterday to claim the incident is still shrouded in mystery.
The pan-blue camp has downplayed Lee's explanations, yet it cannot be said that Lee's investigation is biased or untrustworthy. In fact, during his 54-hour stay in Taiwan, Lee showed his full dedication to the task, his professional skills and his down-to-earth scientific approach. His performance received applause from Taiwan's investigators, the media and the public.
As Lee testified, the crime scene cannot be fully recreated, and can only reveal part of the truth, and to catch the perpetrator is not Lee's task. Yet because their minds are occupied by preconceived ideas, the pan-blues failed to benefit from Lee's insight. This political mindset is at the heart of our predicament.
Since the March 20 election, the pan-blues have made all-out efforts to persuade the public that the shooting was a political conspiracy directed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The blue camp contends that the incident not only helped Chen and Lu win sympathy votes, but also resulted in the activation of a national security mechanism, which allegedly prevented military and police personnel from voting the next day. Calling these the reasons for their loss, they incited their supporters and launched weeks of mass demonstrations.
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (
Lee's investigation ruled out both a professional assassination attempt and a short-distance shooting. Pan-blues are obligated to produce evidence if they insist on conspiracy theories. If they cannot do so, then no detective could resolve the case to their satisfaction, whether Henry Lee or Sherlock Holmes himself.
Controversies surrounding the presidential election are being resolved via such measures as criminal investigations and judicial recounting of the ballots within the system. The pan-blue demonstrations have gradually lost their rationale, resulting in street violence that has led to dissatisfaction all across society. Pan-blue candidates Lien Chan (
Lien and Soong should recognize these circumstances and resign as chairmen of the KMT and PFP while awaiting the results of the recounting by judicial authorities. It is time for them to return power to their parties, and to return calm to our society.
As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reach the point of confidence that they can start and win a war to destroy the democratic culture on Taiwan, any future decision to do so may likely be directly affected by the CCP’s ability to promote wars on the Korean Peninsula, in Europe, or, as most recently, on the Indian subcontinent. It stands to reason that the Trump Administration’s success early on May 10 to convince India and Pakistan to deescalate their four-day conventional military conflict, assessed to be close to a nuclear weapons exchange, also served to
China on May 23, 1951, imposed the so-called “17-Point Agreement” to formally annex Tibet. In March, China in its 18th White Paper misleadingly said it laid “firm foundations for the region’s human rights cause.” The agreement is invalid in international law, because it was signed under threat. Ngapo Ngawang Jigme, head of the Tibetan delegation sent to China for peace negotiations, was not authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the Tibetan government and the delegation was made to sign it under duress. After seven decades, Tibet remains intact and there is global outpouring of sympathy for Tibetans. This realization
After India’s punitive precision strikes targeting what New Delhi called nine terrorist sites inside Pakistan, reactions poured in from governments around the world. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a statement on May 10, opposing terrorism and expressing concern about the growing tensions between India and Pakistan. The statement noticeably expressed support for the Indian government’s right to maintain its national security and act against terrorists. The ministry said that it “works closely with democratic partners worldwide in staunch opposition to international terrorism” and expressed “firm support for all legitimate and necessary actions taken by the government of India
The recent aerial clash between Pakistan and India offers a glimpse of how China is narrowing the gap in military airpower with the US. It is a warning not just for Washington, but for Taipei, too. Claims from both sides remain contested, but a broader picture is emerging among experts who track China’s air force and fighter jet development: Beijing’s defense systems are growing increasingly credible. Pakistan said its deployment of Chinese-manufactured J-10C fighters downed multiple Indian aircraft, although New Delhi denies this. There are caveats: Even if Islamabad’s claims are accurate, Beijing’s equipment does not offer a direct comparison
RSS