The mistaken arrest of the wrong man in a murder case demonstrates how the police disregard human rights in handling investigations, critics said yesterday.
Chen Jung-chi (
After being detained for three days, Chen was released on Monday night when police found out that he could not have been at the scene of the crime.
"The case reveals fatal flaws in the investigation process," said Sun Yi-hsin (孫一信), deputy secretary-general of the Association for Persons With Intellectual Disabilities.
"Either the police or prosecutors failed to abide by regulations concerning the protection of handicapped people's human rights," he said.
Article 31 of the Criminal Procedure Law (
"Police and prosecutors evidently violated the regulations [in Chen's case]," Sun said at a press conference held by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Jung-chang (
Hung Chieh-su (
"I felt sad that I couldn't help him [Chen] when he was in need of help," Hung said.
"He has a language disability and is unable to express himself well," she said.
Wang urged the police and prosecutors to implement regulations and measures to protect the handicapped so that the mistake does not get repeated.
At a separate setting yesterday, Premier Su Tseng-chang (
"Honestly, the police should admit they made a mistake and apologize," Su said.
"I must say, however, that their hard work on the case should also be recognized. Nonetheless, I would ask the police not to repeat their mistake in the future," he said.
Su did not elaborate on the potential punishment for police personnel involved in Chen's mistaken arrest.
"I would ask the police to launch an internal investigation on the issue," he said.
"I think that the high-ranking police officials should come up with the appropriate measures," he said.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
RSS