President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) announcement of a re-launch of investigations into the mysterious 1993 murder of navy Captain Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓) has proceeded with great momentum and fanfare over the past week, but whether the renewed probe will yield any concrete results still remains to be seen.
This week's renewed efforts were immediately met by infighting between the newly established investigation task force and the military. The two spent a majority of the week arguing over copies of cassette tapes which contain interviews with a key witness already convicted in the case.
While national dailies fueled the building debate over the "new clues" supposedly contained on the tapes, a careful review of the investigation over the past six years shows that what is now being touted as "new clues" are actually old ones.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Ex-Criminal Investigation Bureau director Yang Tze-chin (
Kuo made the confession on July 25 to People First Party lawmaker Lee Ching-hua (
"The pity is that a lot of clues are unavailable because several key witnesses left the country after the murder and cannot be contacted," Yang told the Taipei Times.
While he did not name them, Yang was referring to people like Andrew Wang (汪傳浦) and Tu Cheng Chun-chu (涂鄭春菊). Both have fled the country and now live abroad.
Yang also pointed to the importance of searching bank accounts of individuals suspected of involvement.
"The Yin murder is not an unsolvable case. The murder was a result of a weapons purchase scandal. We are confident we can crack this case as long as we can have access to data about cash flows in the bank accounts of all the suspects," he said.
"This is the biggest difficulty in the investigation. It is very difficult for Taiwan's legal authorities to investigate bank accounts of all the key witnesses who are abroad. As a matter of fact, evidence in this area has never been sought in the past," he added.
A military official, involved in the investigation of the murder for several years, said a crucial problem with the case was that investigators originally presumed Yin had drowned and not been murdered.
"The first week after a murder is the most important period for evidence gathering. But military investigators responsible for finding out the cause of Captain Yin's death missed that chance," said Colonel Yang Wen-hsien (楊文賢), deputy director of the discipline monitoring office of the Ministry of National Defense.
Yang, a member of a military investigation team formed specially for the Yin case, is the son of the country's former top coroner, Yang Jih-sung (
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS