Andrew Wang (汪傳浦), the key suspect in the kickback scandal, fled the country following the murder of Navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓) in 1993. Yin is believed to have been about to blow the whistle on colleagues taking kickbacks. Wang was charged in absentia with murder, corruption, money laundering and fraud.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮) urged the public yesterday to remain calm and refrain from saying or doing anything that would cause unrest or incite political confrontation.
It was unfortunate that democratic elections had split the country and led to grudges, adding that the KMT was against any words or actions that bring social unrest or political confrontation, he said.
“We would like to see people cool down,” he said. “It is time for us to take a break, heal the wounds and focus our attention on improving the economy.”
He said that in a civilized society, every citizen was entitled to the freedom of speech, but any form of violence would not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, the DPP’s Taipei office condemned the breach in Chen’s security.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Chou Po-ya (周柏雅) asked President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to respond and for his administration to deal with the matter.
Describing himself as “saddened,” “surprised,” “angered” and “concerned” by what had happened, Chou said that no one had the right to treat other people violently, regardless of that person’s politics.
Chou said the National Security Bureau had done a poor job of protecting Chen’s safety and described the assault as a humiliation for democracy and human rights. He also expressed concern for society as a whole, which he described as being characterized by anti-democracy and disrespect for human rights.
The National Security Bureau apologized to Chen in a press release at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office and demanded that a special task force conduct a review of the incident.
The bureau said Chen had been pushed by the crowd.
After being informed of the incident, bureau Director Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) immediately checked with Chang Chun-po (張春波), the security department chief at the presidential residence, for details.
Tsai said that Chen had changed his route at the last minute and got out of the car at the main gate of the court on Boai Road, thus leading to a confrontation with the protesters.
Additional reporting by CNA and Flora Wang
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