On April 14, 1997, entertainment star Pai Ping-ping's (白冰冰) daughter Pai Hsiao-yen (白曉燕) was murdered. On November 18 of the same year, her murderer Chen Chin-hsing (陳進興) held a military attache of the South African embassy and his family hostage in Tienmu (天母).
Two hostages were accidentally shot by stray bullets fired by Chen. Had the injured hostages not been rescued quickly, not only would their lives have been at grave risk, but a panic-stricken Chen may have just gone on a rampage killing everyone in the house. However, if the police forced entry, Chen might also have started a shooting spree before killing himself. Eventually, Chen granted me permission to enter the house and bring out the injured hostages.
As a result of my involvement in this case, I have a few observations to share.
1. In the past, the media has involved itself extensively in many criminal cases and, in general, cooperated with the police in major kidnapping cases to ensure the safety of the hostages.
However, the Pai case was an exception to this practice. The media repeatedly overstepped its bounds. In fact, one journal revealed confidential information regarding the case. To avoid obstruction to crime investigation and danger to the hostages as a result of this leak, the police spent more than NT$400,000 in a single day to buy all copies of the magazine.
2. The courage and determination of Pai Hsia-yen's mother, Pai Ping-ping, in standing up against the kidnappers was admirable. She took detailed notes of every part of the investigation and offered hypotheses about the details of the crime to the police. Her ability to maintain composure and participate in the rescue, despite an extremely sad and fearful mental state, was truly beneficial.
3. Pai Ping-ping's public statement reminded the general public that domestic issues, including crime, were no less important than economic and foreign-relations problems. Never before had one criminal case been the catalyst for the improvement of social conditions.
Demonstrations held on May 4 and 18 that year protesting against the rising crime rate were also ground-breaking. Never before had any non-political demonstrations been participated in by so many people representing such a broad spectrum of Taiwan society. The orderly fashion and peaceful demeanor of the demonstrators had also never been seen before in Taiwan. Recent public concern over crime stemmed largely from the Pai case.
4. The kidnappers' unique approach and characteristics forced the police to re-establish a crisis-management and hostage-rescue negotiation mechanism. The challenge posed to old beliefs and outdated equipment was educational and the police's capacity to deal with such circumstances has since been made all the better.
5. The establishment of an anti-kidnapping team, the drafting of a telecommunications surveillance law and a domestic violence prevention law to protect the safety of women and children, among others, were some of the measures brought, in part, by the Pai case. However, not enough has been done. In terms of personal safety, we need preventive, rather than after-the-fact, measures. Besides making new laws, we also need to improve environmental design to improve safety as well as implement a community policing system.
Hou Yu-ih is the deputy commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
A gap appears to be emerging between Washington’s foreign policy elites and the broader American public on how the United States should respond to China’s rise. From my vantage working at a think tank in Washington, DC, and through regular travel around the United States, I increasingly experience two distinct discussions. This divergence — between America’s elite hawkishness and public caution — may become one of the least appreciated and most consequential external factors influencing Taiwan’s security environment in the years ahead. Within the American policy community, the dominant view of China has grown unmistakably tough. Many members of Congress, as
After declaring Iran’s military “gone,” US President Donald Trump appealed to the UK, France, Japan and South Korea — as well as China, Iran’s strategic partner — to send minesweepers and naval forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. When allies balked, the request turned into a warning: NATO would face “a very bad” future if it refused. The prevailing wisdom is that Trump faces a credibility problem: having spent years insulting allies, he finds they would not rally when he needs them. That is true, but superficial, as though a structural collapse could be caused by wounded feelings. Something
Former Taipei mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founding chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday, making headlines across major media. However, another case linked to the TPP — the indictment of Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) for alleged violations of the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) on Tuesday — has also stirred up heated discussions. Born in Shanghai, Xu became a resident of Taiwan through marriage in 1993. Currently the director of the Taiwan New Immigrant Development Association, she was elected to serve as legislator-at-large for the TPP in 2023, but was later charged with involvement
Out of 64 participating universities in this year’s Stars Program — through which schools directly recommend their top students to universities for admission — only 19 filled their admissions quotas. There were 922 vacancies, down more than 200 from last year; top universities had 37 unfilled places, 40 fewer than last year. The original purpose of the Stars Program was to expand admissions to a wider range of students. However, certain departments at elite universities that failed to meet their admissions quotas are not improving. Vacancies at top universities are linked to students’ program preferences on their applications, but inappropriate admission
RSS