The Transitional Justice Commission on Sunday announced that it would investigate the death of democracy and human rights advocate Chen Wen-chen (陳文成), as well as other unresolved cases that were allegedly politically motivated, with the help of tens of thousands of political documents.
Chen was found dead 37 years ago today next to what is now National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Department of Library and Information Sciences building, after having been questioned by Taiwan Garrison Command officers the day before.
Born in 1950 and an NTU graduate, Chen was an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University when he returned to Taiwan on May 20, 1981, to visit his family.
The Dr Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation has said that its investigations found that Chen was questioned about overseas students who had allegedly served as informants for the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime.
The officers questioned Chen about his establishment of a foundation in the US to fundraise for the now-defunct pro-democracy Formosa Magazine, the foundation said.
Although US forensic doctors found signs of torture on Chen’s body, the garrison command claimed that Chen committed suicide, the foundation said.
The justice commission’s investigation of Chen’s case, the murder of veteran pro-democracy campaigner Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) mother and twin daughters in 1980 and other allegedly political cases would be deeper and more specific than what has been done until now, commission Deputy Chairperson Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) said.
The commission is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the assailants and systems of accomplices during the period of authoritarian rule, he said.
The commission would not only clarify the role of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), but also the complicated structures that made such violence possible, he added.
The commission has reportedly already sought the cooperation of the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau, which is to provide the commission with documents for investigation.
Media have reported that the commission would begin by selecting 10,000 out of 30,000 documents that it believes merit investigation and pick out any documents relevant to the cases.
Since its official launch on May 31, the commission has received more than 40 letters of appeal from the public, an unnamed government official said.
Most of the letters were written by people seeking redress for injustices, followed by people hoping to remove authoritarian symbols, the source said, adding that the letters show that the public has high hopes for the commission.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS