Control Yuan member Chien Lin Hui-chun (錢林慧君) yesterday said she would halt her investigation into the forcible removal of students occupying the Executive Yuan on March 24 because her term is coming to a close, but she also criticized the National Police Agency (NPA) for its lack of help.
The Executive Yuan occupation, led by student leader Dennis Wei (魏揚) and others, was a spinoff of the Sunflower movement that occupied the Legislative Yuan’s main chamber from March 18 to April 10 to protest the government’s handling of the cross-strait service trade agreement.
Student groups petitioned the Control Yuan in April to investigate what they said was excessive use of force by police in removing protesters from the Executive Yuan. They also called for the impeachment of Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and National Police Agency Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) over the incident. Chien Lin volunteered to investigate.
She said that while it appeared the police agency’s removal of students had violated the principle of proportionality, she wanted to gather more information.
Chien Lin said she met with Ministry of the Interior Deputy Minister Chiu Chang-yueh (邱昌嶽), NPA Deputy Director-General Tsai Chun-chang (蔡俊章), Taipei City Police Department Chief Huang Sheng-yung (黃昇永), Taipei’s Zhongzheng District First Police Precinct Chief Fang Yang-ning (方仰寧) and others to clarify the situation.
All of the NPA officials she talked with said the protesters had been removed “in accordance with the law” and there was no question of illegal removal or any violations of the principle of proportionality, Chien Lin said.
However, when she asked for the video recordings of the evacuation process and the list of civilians and police officers injured during the incident, the police told her the material had been given to prosecutors who were investigating the case.
The police claimed they could not divulge information about an ongoing investigation, Chien Lin said, adding that she had requested the police provide her proof from the Taipei Prosecutors’ Office that it had the material.
Chien Lin said she received official notice from the prosecutors’ office stating they were using the material as basis for ongoing investigation and could not provide the materials for her to review.
Hher investigation had to end because of a lack of evidence, Chien Lin said. However, she said she felt the police had been evasive and unprofessional and their behavior could be improved upon.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
MATAIAN RIVER: Rescue operations were ongoing, with officials urging residents to move to higher floors where possible as teams focus first on those at ground level Floodwaters from the overflowing Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake swept into Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復) yesterday afternoon, leaving hundreds of people trapped and three missing as of press time last night, the Hualien County Fire Bureau said. The waters surged into downtown Guangfu after the riverbank burst at about 2:50pm, carrying mud and debris and submerging streets to rooftop level in some areas. Residents were seen climbing onto vehicles and rooftops to await rescue as thick, silt-laden water inundated the town. The surge destroyed the Mataian Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) and flooded the Guangfu Railway Station. Rescue operations were launched with support from fire departments
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
RSS