A Taiwanese-German woman, long believed to be a key witness in the murder of navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (
Speaking at a press conference in Taipei yesterday to publicize her book, Surfacing: Mysteries about the Yin Ching-feng case, Tu Cheng Chun-chu (涂鄭春菊) said she hoped that her memoirs would help remove the label "key witness," which has been imposed upon her since the murder of Captain Yin.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"My book is entitled `Surfacing' mainly as a declaration of my determination to speak openly about what I know -- and don't know -- of the Yin case," Tu said at the press conference.
For the past seven years, Tu has been one of the key witnesses in the Yin case. Part of the reason is that Tu was the person Yin planned to visit before he went missing.
"On that day, Dec. 9, around 7:00am, Yin Chin-feng called and said that he would be over in 10 minutes ... however, he never showed up," Tu wrote in her book.
Others also wondered why Tu left Taiwan immediately after one of Yin's colleagues informed her of the death. Yin's body was found drifting off the coast of Suao in Ilan County later that day, apparently killed by a blow to the back of the head.
"Yin talked with me on the phone before he died. But until I was informed of his death, I had no idea what had happened and I wasn't involved. I was also curious about what had happened to Yin," Tu said.
Tu said the reason she left the country following Yin's murder was because the navy had instructed her to do so.
"The navy told me that if any accident befell Yin, I would never be able to return to Taiwan again. And I asked the naval procurement officer `what does that have to do with me?'" Tu wrote in her book. "But he refused to give me an explanation."
At the time, Tu was in Taiwan negotiating with the navy over spare parts for four German-made minesweepers. She worked as a broker on behalf of a German arms manufacturer. Yin was sent by the navy to talk with her, since he was then the director of the navy's procurement office.
Tu, however, denied that she was an arms dealer.
"I was just handling the legal affairs of the deal," Tu said.
When asked by one reporter if she knew more about how Yin died and more details related to the case, Tu said, "If I knew I would tell you."
"All I know are some details related to the navy's procurement scandals during that period," Tu said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS