The National Police Agency (NPA) yesterday said it is investigating if aviation police properly handled the violent clashes at CKS International Airport between supporters and opponents of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
A spokesman said that NPA Director-General Shieh Ing-dan (
Hsieh wants to know as soon as possible if any aviation police were negligent, the spokesman said.
Several legislators have expressed their discontent over the way aviation police handled the scuffles between the rival supporters, noting that some people carried banners, sticks and firecrackers into the airport terminal, which they said violated the law and was a smear on the nation's image.
The medical-aid station at the airport estimated that 15 people were injured during the melee, mostly suffering head injuries, while two more seriously injured people were taken to hospital for further observation.
Meanwhile, the Aviation Police Office expressed its sympathy to people who were injured in the incident, adding that it would track down those who triggered the disturbances by reviewing videotapes and photos taken during the fracas.
Aviation Police Office head Chen Juei-tien (陳瑞添) said that as the airport was an open area, it had not been cordoned off in consideration of passengers.
This was why some of the protesters were able to carry hazardous items into the departure area, he said.
Chen admitted there might have been negligence and lapses in judgment in the police's handling of the situation.
Stressing the police had communicated beforehand with the groups in question, Chen said the police had hoped that they would exercise self-restraint and that their supporters would be rational.
He said that because of the lapse in security, eggs, sticks, rocks, knives, swords and firecrackers were brought into the airport terminal.
Supporters mobilized by the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union, an ally of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and the pro-unification New Party and other supporters converged at the airport ahead of Lien's departure at 10:55am.
Aviation police originally hoped to have the pan-blue alliance stay outside the departure lobby, while the pan-green camp was to stay in a parking lot in the west wing of the airport compound.
But DPP Legislator Wang Shih-chien (
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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