Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷), leaders of the ongoing student movement against the cross-strait service trade agreement, may face legal action for their involvement in the occupation by hundreds of students of the Legislative Yuan.
Local media reported yesterday that Lin and Chen have been referred by the police to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for investigation on five charges: trespassing, interference with public functions, destruction of property, infringing on personal liberty and contempt of authority.
However, the office dismissed the report, saying that the pair had been accused by four anonymous individuals, not referred by the police.
Photo: Lam Yik Fei, Bloomberg
“The charges against the pair are being investigated,” the office said, adding that there were other people who had also filed lawsuits against the student activists and that their accusations would be handled according to the law.
As to when and whether Lin and Chen would be summoned for questioning, the office said: “The prosecutors responsible for the cases will make the decisions based on the progress of their investigations.”
However, sources familiar with the matter told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) that the office planned to question the pair after the Sunflower movement died down to avoid exciting the protesters inside and outside the Legislative Yuan.
So far, 43 people, including Lin and Chen, face legal action over their participation in the occupation of the legislature and the brief seizure of the Executive Yuan on Sunday last week, the sources said.
Lin and Chen said yesterday that they would take responsibility for their actions, but insisted that they are not guilty of any crimes.
“What we are doing is not illegal at all,” Chen told journalists in the legislative chamber. “But if prosecutors want to take any legal action against us, we will face it, shoulder it together and not try to dodge it.”
In related developments, an online petition launched on Tuesday by a group of 38 law professors that urges the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to investigate the government’s forced eviction of protesters from the Executive Yuan on Monday last week has attracted about 950 signatures.
The signatories include National Taiwan University (NTU) College of Law dean Shieh Ming-yan (謝銘洋), Fu Jen Catholic University School of Law dean Chang Yie-yun (張懿云) and National Taipei University Department of Law director Lin Kuo-bin (林國彬).
The petition makes three major demands: that prosecutors uncover the truth of what happened during the forced eviction of students; that all relevant evidence be carefully protected, including video footage from surveillance cameras around the Executive Yuan and the telephone records of senior government officials; and that prosecutors ascertain whether riot police attacked unarmed protesters with batons or overstepped their powers when trying to disperse them.
Riot police were caught on camera using force and water cannons to remove protesters from the Executive Yuan.
About 110 people were injured during the eviction process, including police officers and a lawmaker.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin and Yang Kuo-wen
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS