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.
There is much evidence that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is sending soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and is learning lessons for a future war against Taiwan. Until now, the CCP has claimed that they have not sent PLA personnel to support Russian aggression. On 18 April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinskiy announced that the CCP is supplying war supplies such as gunpowder, artillery, and weapons subcomponents to Russia. When Zelinskiy announced on 9 April that the Ukrainian Army had captured two Chinese nationals fighting with Russians on the front line with details
On a quiet lane in Taipei’s central Daan District (大安), an otherwise unremarkable high-rise is marked by a police guard and a tawdry A4 printout from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating an “embassy area.” Keen observers would see the emblem of the Holy See, one of Taiwan’s 12 so-called “diplomatic allies.” Unlike Taipei’s other embassies and quasi-consulates, no national flag flies there, nor is there a plaque indicating what country’s embassy this is. Visitors hoping to sign a condolence book for the late Pope Francis would instead have to visit the Italian Trade Office, adjacent to Taipei 101. The death of
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), joined by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), held a protest on Saturday on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. They were essentially standing for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is anxious about the mass recall campaign against KMT legislators. President William Lai (賴清德) said that if the opposition parties truly wanted to fight dictatorship, they should do so in Tiananmen Square — and at the very least, refrain from groveling to Chinese officials during their visits to China, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese authorities. Now that China has been defined as a foreign hostile force,
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