Legislators are set to question the police chief and government officials today in a legislative committee over what has been described as one of the most bloody and violent crackdowns in recent memory when police evicted thousands of student protesters from the Executive Yuan in Taipei and injured dozens early on Monday morning.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), convener of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee, said yesterday that he had demanded that three senior government officials report on the police force’s order-keeping mission during the past week and its crackdown on the protesters, which began on Sunday.
The officials are Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), Minister of the Interior Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) and National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞).
Photo: CNA
The DPP called for the public to send in their photos and video clips recorded during the eviction of thousands of students and other protesters, who had broken off from the protest at the Legislative Yuan and took over the Executive Yuan compound on Sunday night.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊毅) told a press conference that the public is unaware of what actually took place at the Executive Yuan compound in the latter part of the eviction because journalists had been removed from the compound by then.
Many students were beaten and seriously injured during that period as police were free from media scrutiny and could do whatever they wanted, Lee Chun-yi said.
A number of video clips showing police officers using excessive violence that were uploaded to YouTube have been removed from the site for unknown reasons, prompting suspicion that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration had those videos “flagged” for violation of the site’s community guidelines.
The DPP has established a platform to collect evidence of the use of excessive force by police officers and is ready to take legal action against those who should be held accountable, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said.
Several riot police officers might be facing attempted murder charges, lawyer Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said.
Huang said Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and Wang should also be held accountable for ordering the crackdown, adding that while the evacuation of reporters before the crackdown was not illegal, it could have infringed on the freedom of the press.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) also condemned what it said was excessive use of force in a news conference and said that the party is considering filing a lawsuit against the police over a serious injury sustained by TSU Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) during the crackdown.
Chou was knocked down by riot police during the eviction, which left her unconscious, Huang said.
The lawmaker suffered a bone fracture under one of her eyes and remained hospitalized.
Meanwhile, a number of women’s rights groups, including the National Alliance of Taiwan Women’s Associations and the Awakening Foundation, yesterday condemned the Executive Yuan’s decision to order the eviction.
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
COUNTERING THE PLA: While the US should reinforce its relations with partners and allies, Taiwan must invest in strengthening its defenses as well, Phillip Davidson said If influence in the Indo-Pacific region is one of the US’ core interests, then Taiwan serves as a cornerstone of US economic and security influence in the region, former US Indo-Pacific Command commander admiral Phillip Davidson said on Thursday. “China’s ... strategy is to supplant the US leadership role in the international order ... and they’ve long said ... that they intend to do that by 2050,” Davidson told the National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit in Washington. Davidson said he had previously told US Senate hearings on China’s military activities and possible threats in the Indo-Pacific region that a Chinese invasion of