The funeral of Su Chuen-chang (
Messages of condolence sent by Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), the former minister of justice Cheng Chung-mo (城仲模), Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou(馬英九) and dozens of lawmakers were displayed at the service.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The funeral committee, chaired by renowned writer Po Yang (柏楊), included many celebrities. Po Yang read the eulogy, "Su was more than simply a great father. He was an extraordinary human rights campaigner."
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMESN
Su Chien-wen (
"I'll follow your teachings and am convinced that I can go home an innocent son," he continued.
Hope for the Trio has been given a boost by the long-awaited commencement of their retrial on Thursday, said human rights activists. The activists have called for precisely such a retrial since 1995. The Trio -- Su Chien-ho, Liu Bin-lang (
"Without the elder Su's initiatives in the rescue mission over the years, the Trio would have been executed," Chen Chen-kan (
Because of the controversies surrounding their conviction, the Trio's case has become Taiwan's most frequently cited case in campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty. Four justice ministers who have served while the three have been on death row have expressed reservations about executing the trio.
The case of the Hsichih Trio case has become "a nightmare" for the judiciary, according to Lee Mao-sheng (
Indeed, a number of significant changes in the criminal justice system have been made since the "rescue" campaign began. Amendments made to criminal procedure law in 1997 and 1998 have provided more protection for criminal suspects.
First among these changes is the requirement that interrogations of defendants should be audio- and video-recorded to prevent law enforcement officials from forcing defendants to confess by means of duress, or torture.
Confessions extracted by forceful means are not admissible as evidence against the defendants.
Among other things, a confession, which used to be the most powerful evidence, counts for less under the amendments. In fact, the Judicial Yuan has been reviewing the possibility that statements made by the defendant during police interrogation should not be used as evidence against him or her at trial.
Nigel Li (
"Under the current system, it seems that the day the defendants are charged, they have been presumed guilty and have to prove that they are not. It's very unreasonable since it's the accusing party that has to prove [guilt]," he said.
The campaign to free the Trio, which led to these legal changes, was carried out almost single-handedly by the elder Su before former state prosecutor-general, Chen Han (陳涵), filed three extraordinary appeals to the Supreme Court on the Trio's behalf of which none were upheld.
Chen Han's appeals led human rights activists to turn their attention to the controversial case and led to their efforts, starting in 1995, to rescue the Trio. Hundreds of thousands of people, Amnesty International and the convener of the President's Advisory Group on Cross-Strait Relations, Lee Yuan-tseh (
"Many people joined in the rescue activities, became frustrated and left. Then other people came," said Ku Yu-chen (
Su, who had only a third grade education, did not know how to write complaints or requests when the trial began.
To launch his rescue effort, he simply copied the press cuttings and all the documents he could gather from the prosecutors and the courts, and waited in front of National Taiwan University to deliver them to law scholars and send them to reporters.
Su's closet and drawers in his bedroom were not full of clothes, but piled high with copies of documents related to the Trio. "I slept with the case every night," he once said.
"He adopted the most simple and humble means of raising public awareness of the Hsichih Trio case," said Eve Lee (
Lee said Su tried his best to provide materials to anyone who showed concern for the case and delivered handouts and explained the case to people in the streets.
Many reporters at the time received a brown paper envelope full of copies of press cuttings signed, "Su Chuen-chang."
Tsai Tsung-lung (
"The materials were useful for me, giving me clues to the controversy surrounding the case," Tsai said.
Many human rights activists connected with Su recall their impressions of the man and highlight both his persistence and his ideas for improving the judicial system.
It was a father's desire to save his son that motivated Tsai in the beginning. "But the reason I was able to keep it up was my conviction about the need to improve Taiwan's judicial system. Otherwise, I would have given up a long time ago," Tsai said.
"Su taught me that social movements demand not talent, but people with persistence," Ku said.
"He showed us an example that ordinary people can influence society with unexpected potential if they have an inclination to reason rather than harbor resentment," said presidential consultant Peter Huang (
"The last 10 years of his life can be epitomized not only by his rescue efforts on behalf of his son but also by his campaign to improve Taiwan's judicial system," human rights activists said.
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
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
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
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