The mother of Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶), who was wrongfully executed in 1997 after a murder conviction, said yesterday she hoped the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office would launch another investigation into the case.
Chiang, who was accused of raping and killing a girl surnamed Hsieh (謝) at Air Force Command Headquarters in Taipei and pleaded guilty after being tortured, was executed in 1997 at the age of 21, but was later found to be innocent.
The military court exonerated Chiang in a posthumous trial on Sept. 13 last year and the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office is now investigating a new suspect, Hsu Jung-chou (許榮洲), over the girl’s murder.
Hsu is facing a sentence of 18 years in prison if convicted, but the case is still on trial in the Taiwan High Court.
Chiang’s mother, Wang Tsai-lien (王彩蓮), sued former minister of national defense Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) and other military officers for dereliction of duty over the wrongful execution.
However, after investigating the matter the prosecutors’ office said that although Chen and the other officers had resorted to torture to extract a confession from Chiang, the office could not intervene in a military trial.
The office added that Chen and the other officers had sought to close the case and win accolades for speedily resolving the much-publicized case, and did not have any intention of killing Chiang.
Commenting on Chen and the other officers’ alleged infractions of illegal detention and abuse of power leading to a death, the office also said that the term of litigating on the violations had already expired, and Chen and the other officers could not be charged in the matter.
Wang’s initial appeal to the High Court for a re-investigation into Chen’s dereliction of duty had been sent back to the prosecutors’ office for further review, but the office maintained its original decision not to investigate.
The results of the second appeal had come back last month, again with the decision not to investigate Chen.
Wang’s lawyer, Lin Fung-cheng (林豐正), said the prosecutors’ office had hurt the defendant twice with its refusal.
When the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office handed the case back in July last year, “it had already stated that Chen and the other officers had committed murder. It is evident that the Taipei Prosecutors’ Office is directly disobeying the opinion of the High Prosecutors’ Office,” Lin said.
“We hope the High Prosecutors’ Office can help us with the case, because it holds the correct attitude toward those who violate the law and this attitude is the only consolation that Wang has,” Lin said.
However, Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office spokesperson Huang Mo-hsin (黃謀信) said the results of the investigation had already been clearly written in the letter of notice, adding that if the plaintiff is still unsatisfied she may seek another appeal.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS