The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it would file lawsuits against a group of politicians over allegations that the party condoned a shooting last month.
Aimed at Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers, the lawsuits were the first court challenges to be filed following the incident, in which Sean Lien (連勝文), a KMT Central Committee member and son of former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰), was shot on Nov. 26.
Reports said preliminary investigations show that the alleged shooter, Lin Cheng-wei (林正偉), mistook Sean Lien for local KMT politician Chen Hung-yuan (陳鴻源). The shooter was allegedly involved in a land dispute with Chen’s family.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
DPP spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said it was “undeniable” that the party had nothing to do with the incident, despite claims to the contrary from KMT lawmakers on the night of the shooting.
“We condemn the lies that infer the DPP was connected to the shooting,” he told a press conference at which video footage of the comments made by KMT lawmakers was released. “It’s clear … that some people made [those remarks] to ... influence the election.”
Legal action could be filed in the coming days against KMT legislators Chiu Yi (邱毅), Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) and Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇). Lawsuits are expected to include charges of defamation, libel and possibly a charge of spreading rumors with the intent of influencing the elections.
The lawsuits come amid speculation that a sympathy vote likely cost the DPP victory in Greater Taichung, where it lost by only 2.2 percent. One lawmaker has advocated directly challenging the results.
“We should be encouraging [all three losing DPP candidates] to file challenges that invalidate the results,” DPP Legislator Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) said.
The party should look at taking legal action against several TV personalities, he said.
The remarks under scrutiny include a tirade by KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) on a TV talk show, in which, minutes after the incident, he accused DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of condoning the actions of the shooter, who Chiu said was a DPP supporter.
Video footage provided by the DPP showed Kuo and Wu telling a campaign rally in Taipei County that they wanted to see supporters condemn violence by voting for KMT candidates.
Separately, Lu told supporters in Greater Taichung the shooting was a political “dirty trick.”
“We hope that most folks can denounce the act of violence tomorrow by voting for [KMT Sinbei City mayoral candidate] Eric Chu (朱立倫) ... We must teach those who cause mischief a lesson,” Kuo said.
Lawyer Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) said the remarks likely constituted enough evidence to file charges.
The DPP said the main purpose of the lawsuit was to recover the party’s “tarnished image.”
Wu said the lawsuit did not worry him, adding that he had only called on voters to vote against violence rather than against the DPP.
“I did not imply in any way or accuse the DPP or anyone [of the shooting]. I didn’t describe [the shooting] as a political assassination [attempt],” Wu said.
Kuo said she was trying to calm KMT supporters down after the shooting.
Meanwhile, Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said he did not oppose releasing video clips of the shooting, but would respect the decision by prosecutors on the matter.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang and Loa Iok-sin
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military