As we approach the first anniversary of the March 19 assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian (
Unfortunately, Chen Yi-hsiung drowned off Anping, Tainan City after the shooting. Lacking direct evidence, the police are stopping short of saying that they have cracked the case, and even though this announcement marks a step in uncovering the truth behind the shooting incident, they are not quite there yet.
There are a number of reasons the police believe Chen to be their man, including his purchase of a handgun from gunmaker Tang Shou-yi (
Prosecutors and police are confident of Chen Yi-hsiung's involvement in the case. But investigation must continue because many questions remain. Since the alleged shooter is dead, and his suicide note and yellow coat were destroyed by his family, the only evidence of his involvement are the statements made by his family members, who have been granted immunity. The gun allegedly used in the shooting has not been found. People also want to know if Chen Yi-hsiung had any accomplice, or whether he was acting on another's orders.
The police officers and detectives have put a lot of effort into this case, and the investigation has proved fruitful. Although questions remain and the public is not satisfied, people should be able to accept a result like this -- as long as the search for direct evidence continues. There is no need, however, for another special investigation committee to be set up by the legislature.
The March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee raised several points of suspicion in its final report, but most of them were accusations regarding political motivations and completely groundless speculation. The committee put the nation in a state of unrest politically, economically and socially, so the Legislative Yuan must not again waste national resources to establish a second committee in this session probing the case.
The opposition parties should trust in what the judiciary has been doing and cautiously consider whether it is, in fact, necessary for them to take to the streets once again in front of the Ketagalan Boulevard and cause the country to sink further into the quagmire of conflict.
The police believe the motive for the assassination attempt was Chen Yi-hsiung's discontent with the nation's political scene. Over the past four years, the blue camp, with its legislative majority, stalled the government's efforts to achieve greater economic growth and promote both political and economic reforms. Chen Shui-bian, with his re-election, has learned to place cross-party reconciliation and cooperation atop his political agenda. The overall political scene has, therefore, seen a detente.
There is a chance now for the governing and opposition parties to work together to improve the economy rather than engage in further political power struggles, which would destroy the small conciliatory steps that have been taken so far. Faced with increasingly aggressive moves from across the Taiwan Strait, our politicians would do well to focus on putting the nation first, not their careers.
There are moments in history when America has turned its back on its principles and withdrawn from past commitments in service of higher goals. For example, US-Soviet Cold War competition compelled America to make a range of deals with unsavory and undemocratic figures across Latin America and Africa in service of geostrategic aims. The United States overlooked mass atrocities against the Bengali population in modern-day Bangladesh in the early 1970s in service of its tilt toward Pakistan, a relationship the Nixon administration deemed critical to its larger aims in developing relations with China. Then, of course, America switched diplomatic recognition
The international women’s soccer match between Taiwan and New Zealand at the Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium, scheduled for Tuesday last week, was canceled at the last minute amid safety concerns over poor field conditions raised by the visiting team. The Football Ferns, as New Zealand’s women’s soccer team are known, had arrived in Taiwan one week earlier to prepare and soon raised their concerns. Efforts were made to improve the field, but the replacement patches of grass could not grow fast enough. The Football Ferns canceled the closed-door training match and then days later, the main event against Team Taiwan. The safety
The National Immigration Agency on Tuesday said it had notified some naturalized citizens from China that they still had to renounce their People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizenship. They must provide proof that they have canceled their household registration in China within three months of the receipt of the notice. If they do not, the agency said it would cancel their household registration in Taiwan. Chinese are required to give up their PRC citizenship and household registration to become Republic of China (ROC) nationals, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. He was referring to Article 9-1 of the Act
Strategic thinker Carl von Clausewitz has said that “war is politics by other means,” while investment guru Warren Buffett has said that “tariffs are an act of war.” Both aphorisms apply to China, which has long been engaged in a multifront political, economic and informational war against the US and the rest of the West. Kinetically also, China has launched the early stages of actual global conflict with its threats and aggressive moves against Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan, and its support for North Korea’s reckless actions against South Korea that could reignite the Korean War. Former US presidents Barack Obama
RSS