Military prosecutors yesterday named the former 542nd Brigade commander, Major General Shen Wei-chih (沈威志), as a defendant in the investigation into the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘). Hung died on July 4, following physical exercises he had been forced to do as part of his punishment while confined to detention barracks.
Shen, who approved the disciplinary action for Hung, was charged with Offenses Against Abandonment (妨害自由罪), prosecutors said, adding that Shen has hired a lawyer.
Hung’s family had said Shen received a text message from Hung asking for help before he was placed in confinement, but Shen did not respond.
A lawyer for the Hung family, Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智), said Hung’s Body Mass Index (BMI) was 33 so he should not have been placed in confinement according to military regulations, but Shen approved the punishment and may have serious questions to answer concerning Hung’s death.
Meanwhile, military prosecutors yesterday morning conducted a simulation of Hung’s drills and the emergency treatment given to him at the 569th Brigade’s detention center in Taoyuan County.
Personnel responsible for supervising soldiers in confinement and three soldiers who were in confinement with Hung took part in the simulation, military prosecutors said.
Hung’s family and attorneys were allowed to watch the simulation, said Wellington Koo (顧立雄), head of the legal team representing the family of the 24-year-old soldier.
The military court said it also invited Hung’s uncle and sister to witness the simulation, which lasted from 9am to about 2pm.
Tsao Chin-sheng (曹金生), chief military prosecutor general, said before entering the base at about 11am that he hoped the simulation would help investigators reveal the truth of the case as soon as possible.
Tsao said that the military court has been negotiating closely with the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office and has obtained data from another simulation that was conducted by the office a few days ago.
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday also questioned Staff Sergeant Fan Tso-hsien (范佐憲) about the loss of a portion of a surveillance video that may have offered insights into Hung’s death.
Fan, who has been detained by the Military High Court, is believed to be a key figure in the case.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
RSS