Two men yesterday threw rocks at the front door of the building housing the Ill-Gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, shattering the glass and prompting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) to say that the committee should operate in “a rational and legal” manner to prevent public backlashes.
Speaking on the sidelines of an afternoon tea with China-based Taiwanese businesspeople at the KMT’s headquarters in Taipei, Hung said the committee could trigger public resistance or radical acts because of the “illegitimate manner” in which it has dealt with political parties’ assets.
“We are of the opinion that any committee should handle matters logically, rationally and legally so it does not trigger too much of a public backlash,” Hung said after reporters’ asked if the incident could drive a greater wedge between the pan-blue and pan-green camps over the thorny issue of the KMT’s ill-gotten assets.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Police said two middle-aged men riding bicycles threw stones at the Songjiang Road building housing the committee at about 11:25am.
“We have reviewed the surveillance video and found that the two men fled toward Lane 85 of Songjiang Road immediately after the attack… We are working to apprehend the suspects as soon as possible,” said Lien Ming-chi (連銘棋), assistant supervisor of the investigation team of the Taipei City Police Department’s Zhongshan Precinct.
The pair were dressed like homeless people and appeared to be in their 40s or 50s, Lien said.
Late last night, police said they had arrested one suspect.
The incident was an “irrational act,” committee spokeswoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳) said as she urged the public to treat public affairs rationally.
People who have concerns about the committee are welcome to “come and communicate with us,” she said.
Asked what committee Chairman Wellington Koo’s (顧立雄) reaction was to the incident, Shih said Koo was being interviewed at the time, but appeared unruffled when told of it.
As the committee was established less than two weeks ago, not all security measures have been put in place, Shih said, adding that it would step up security, including hiring a guard.
Dismissing concerns that the incident might prompt some committee members to quit, Shih said the chance of that happening was slim, as they are all motivated by a high level of enthusiasm and the pursuit of justice and fairness.
The committee would not go easy on ill-gotten party assets just because of the incident, she said.
New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) asked Premier Lin Chuan (林全) why the budget for the committee office did not cover guards or police officers at the building.
Lin said the government would increase security at the committee’s office, which is in the same building as the National Development Council’s Regulatory Reform Center.
The cost of increased security would be shared by the two organizations, he said.
Additional reporting by Alison Hsiao
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