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Lawmaker opposes compensation

"It is up to judicial authorities to decide whether to offer damages to families of the six women and how much to offer."

DPP legislative caucus spokesman

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Chi-fang (蔡啟芳) called for the government yesterday to reject demands for compensation from the families of the six Chinese women who drowned recently while trying to enter Taiwan illegally.

Echoing opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Chen Chien-ming's (陳建銘) comments on Thursday, Tsai said during a press conference that the government does not need to compensate the families, given the women's illegal status.

Chen argued Thursday that Beijing has never offered compensation for Taiwanese murdered in China.

"Now these people come here to demand compensation. I doubt if there would be any justice if the government agreed to pay up," he said.

Family members of the drowned women have expressed their hope that the government will offer NT$2.5 million in compensation to each of the bereaved families out of humanitarian considerations.

Tsai said that if the government were to pay any compensation, this would encourage an endless number of Chinese to attempt to enter the country illegally.

Tsai said the government should not pay a single cent to the Chinese, asking if the illegal immigrants were paid, should Taiwanese fugitives or convicts also be paid if they are killed while trying to escape.

She said that also from the legal point of view, the government should not pay any compensation, pointing out that the Chinese women's drowning was not the result of negligence on the part of government employees.

On Aug. 26, smugglers threw 26 young Chinese women overboard off the coast of Tunghsiao to escape pursuing Taiwan coast guard vessels. Six of the women drowned, while the other 20 were rescued.

The bodies of the four women were cremated after a funeral was held. Their ashes were to be taken back to their homeland by their next of kin yesterday.

The identities of two of the drowned women have yet to be determined. The Straits Exchange Foundation is still seeking the assistance of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait to locate the two victims' family members.

Commenting on the compensation issue, a spokesman for the DPP legislative caucus said Thursday the question of whether to offer compensation to the families of the victims should be resolved through the judicial process.

"Since our crime victims protection law has clear provisions on damages to be awarded to victims of violent crimes, it is up to judicial authorities to decide whether to offer damages to families of the six women and how much to offer," the spokesman said, adding that all political parties should refrain from interfering in the issue.
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