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.
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
RSS