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Friends, neighbors remember suspected shooter as a normal, sports-loving man

After the police named Chen Yi-hsiung (陳義雄) a suspect in the March 19 assassination attempt, Chen's friends expressed surprise, according to a local evening newspaper.

Chen had been a chairman of a wrestling committee in Tainan. The members of the committee were shocked by the news. They also hope that the police can clarify the mysterious aspects of the case.

According to Yeh Kun-cheng (葉崑成), the head of the committee, Chen was enthusiastic about public service, which was why he was elected committee chairman.

"He often enthusiastically led our wrestlers to attend wrestling competitions, and even paid for them," Yeh said yesterday.

"He loved sports, and often exercised at the wrestling center," he added, stressing that Chen led an absolutely normal life, and was considered a quiet, honest man.

According to Huang Kun-hsing (黃崑興), who took over Chen's chairmanship at the end of 2003, his predecessor was in good physical condition, adding that Chen also swam very well.

"He was actually a member of the local diving club," Huang said yesterday. "How could he drown himself? This is unbelievable."

However, according to Huang, who had been Chen's friend for more than 20 years, contrary to some media reports, Chen did not really have an obvious political stance himself.

"He also supported some politicians from the green camp in local elections," Huang said, adding that they seldom talked about politics.

When the police released a videotape featuring a suspect on TV soon after the shooting, Huang and some other friends even joked that Chen looked like the suspect on TV.

A 30-year neighbor of Chen painted a different portrait of the man, however, saying he was a supporter of the pan-blue camp and had argued with others in public because of political differences.

Chen's neighbors said they too were surprised to hear that he had drowned, because he was known to be a good swimmer and diver.
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