The Control Yuan is to investigate a skit staged by prosecutors in 2009 satirizing former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), a performance that has raised doubts about the credibility of the nation’s judicial system, Control Yuan member Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) said yesterday.
Chen Shih-meng said the skit, performed at a Law Day celebratory event, greatly affected social commentary and tarnished Taiwan’s international image.
It also affected the former president mentally and physically, Chen Shih-meng said, adding that he would talk to Chen Shui-bian in person and ask him to make a statement about the humiliation he suffered.
Photo: Wang Yi-song, Taipei Times
Then-Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office chief prosecutor Ching Chi-jen (慶啟人) and then-minster of justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) turned a blind eye to the performance.
They are to be summoned for questioning over possible negligence of duty, Chen Shih-meng said.
Denying speculation that the investigation was launched because of his support for the former president, Chen Shih-meng said the public should question whether erroneous evidence was presented.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“To say that I should stay away from this case because I was a former Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] member or former Presidential Office secretary-general is laughable,” Chen Shih-meng said, adding that such talk was “a low blow.”
Wang yesterday said that the Ministry of Justice only oversees matters pertaining to policy and the judiciary system, such as policies for restorative justice.
Law Day is an annual event and its planning is overseen by the secretary-general or the deputy minister of justice, Wang said, adding that the precise agenda for the event is not usually disclosed before the day.
Using creativity and satire to express opinions is a constitutionally guaranteed right, Wang said, adding that she personally did not think such a skit was appropriate on the day.
No similar incidents have occurred since, Wang said.
Ching on Wednesday said that whether Chen Shui-bian was guilty of embezzlement and corruption is based on evidence, not satire.
Chen Shih-meng said he was “extremely disappointed” to hear Ching’s response, adding: “The average person, much less judge, should not mock others.”
He said the right to express opinions does not include the right to humiliate others, especially a prisoner.
“Can any prosecutor enact a skit to humiliate the defendant prior to giving a verdict?” Chen Shih-meng said, adding that such behavior is unimaginable in the US as it would be seen as interfering with the judicial process.
Chen Shih-meng said that the event was described by longtime Taiwan watcher Bruce Jacobs in an article carried by the Economist in 2009 as a “‘lack of discretion’ in a remarkably tasteless recent incident.”
Additional reporting by CNA
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned