As a prayer vigil for the so-called "Hsichih Trio" enters its fourth week, hopes of saving the three death-row inmates are growing daily at Taipei's Chinan Church (
While a sunny Sunday afternoon is a good time to have fun for some, over 200 people joined the vigil at the church yesterday to pray that the three men -- Su Jian-he (
Among those at the church were Su's father, as well as the mothers of Liu and Chung.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES.
"I have no more tears. I've dropped them all," said Liu's 65-year-old mother, who has waited for her 28-year-old son to be released for nine years.
The three men were charged in 1991 for a double murder in Hsichih, Taipei County, and convicted under a law that carries a mandatory death sentence.
Their prosecution relied on confessions extracted under dubious conditions. The three entered jail at age 19 and have been on death row now for almost five years.
"Had my son ever done this terrible thing, he would deserve all the punishments. But I know he didn't and I have always believed that. And there is no reason they still have my innocent son suffer endlessly," Liu's mother said, calmly and firmly.
The prayer vigil was launched on April 15 by a human rights alliance to petition President-elect Chen Shui-bian (
At dusk each day for the past three weeks, as office workers head for home and students finish their classes, the vigil has been held at the church and prayers sung for the three men.
"First it was about 20 to 30 people, but the number of participants has steadily increased each day for the past three weeks," said Ku Yu-jane (
"And to our surprise, more and more young students have also taken time to pray for the three men."
Officials from the alliance said the headquarters of Amnesty International and its branches worldwide have petitioned President Lee Teng-hui (
As the political landscape changes the families of the three have turned their hope to a possible amnesty from the new president.
"They say we'll see a clean and blue sky when A-bian becomes president. I hope what they say is true and the new president will be like Judge Pao Ching-tien (
Organizers of the vigil have designated weekly topics and the vigil will continue until the day the three men are released, said Ko.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique