Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and People First Party (PFP) lawmakers were united yesterday in describing the arrest of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (
"There was nothing to suggest that Chiu would try to escape, so it really wasn't necessary for the police to put on such a performance on Thursday night," said PFP Legislator Lin Hui-kuan (林惠官).
Lin said that the police should make better use of their manpower instead of focusing on a single subject who is not a flight risk.
Stage-managed?
TSU Legislator Ho Min-hao (
"For a defendant of this sort, I don't think it was necessary for so many police officers to be at the scene, really," Ho said.
The DPP's Yeh Yi-chin (
KMT Caucus Whip Pan Wei-kang (
"The Code of Criminal Procedure states that a person can be arrested when he has ignored at least three summons from the court, but it does not stipulate that this is necessary," Pan said. "At least, Chiu is one of us and deserves some respect as a lawmaker."
Chiu, who has ignored several court subpoenas since 2004, gained notoriety after he was shown on national TV, standing in a truck and apparently exhorting a mob to storm a court building.
Chiu claimed that he requested leave of absences each time he was summoned, but that these were rejected by the Kaohsiung District Court.
The Taipei City Police Department directed members of its Chungcheng First Precinct to carry out the arrest at TVBS, a local cable TV station, where Chiu was participating in a talk show. Chiu was handcuffed as he left the TV station at about 10pm and escorted to Kaohsiung.
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