After more than two years on the run from police, former Chiayi County council speaker Hsiao Teng-piao (
But if anyone was expecting a tearful expression of remorse, they were to be disappointed, as Hsiao declared defiantly that he had not surrendered himself to confess, but rather to expose loop-holes in the government's crusade against organized crime, which had made him a target.
Hsiao, who was sought for arrest in the large-scale Chihpin (
PHOTO: TSAI MIN-HSI, LIBERTY TIMES
Many of these appearances were due to his position as an elected councilor, as he had enjoyed immunity from prosecution when the council was in session. Indeed, on several occasions since 1996, Hsiao humiliated law enforcement authorities by disappearing as soon as his immunity lapsed with the adjournment of the council.
Earlier this month, Hsiao reportedly sent a message to authorities through his niece, legislator Hsiao Yuan-yu (蕭苑瑜), that he wanted to turned himself in and have his name cleared through legal channels. However, with a unit of heavily armed police awaiting his arrival, Hsiao did not show up as he had promised, instead issuing a statement alleging he was victim of a miscarriage of justice.
While law enforcement agencies took a whipping from the public for their failure to catch Hsiao, the fugitive managed to conduct several TV interviews in which he gave "his side of the story." These were broadcast throughout the island on Monday.
Yesterday, he finally gave himself in by turning up at the Chiayi Prosecutor's Office, where he was greeted by a crowd of television crews and reporters.
On his way into the office, Hsiao gave his reason for finally surrendering, which was that he expects his case will now more likely be subject to due process, unlike two years ago, when his "political enemy" Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪) served as Minister of Justice.
Hsiao accused the former justice minister of using the anti-gangster crusade for political purposes against him Chiayi County, where he said Liao has close connections with his political rivals. Liao also grew up in the county.
"There were a bunch of legal loopholes in the crackdown, which was initiated by Liao. Some people were arrested without proof of their crimes being furnished, and some were convicted without a fair trial. Is this the kind of thing that takes place in a country governed by the rule of law?" Hsiao asked.
"Liao and my other enemies have exhausted every means to get me out of the political arena. When he (Liao) served as justice minister, a rather powerful position, I couldn't speak freely about these matters," Hsiao said. "So I have been waiting, waiting for the day when justice would finally be served."
The so-called Chihpin program was launched by Liao as a broad sweep against anyone with sus-pected links to organized crime. It has been pursued under the Anti-Hooligan Law, a controversial piece of legislation which allows for the circumvention of proper legal procedure. Most people charged under the program have been flown directly to the maximum security prison on Green Island after being summarily tried in a special security court. Probably the most controversial aspect of the law, however, is that people can be convicted based on the testimony of anony-mous witnesses.
Hsiao called on the Ministry of Justice to reassess the program and make changes so that it becomes compliant with the intent of Taiwan's law.
The ministry, however, stood firm yesterday on continuing its anti-gangster program, saying it had produced clear results.
"Since the program was launched, there has been a noticeable improvement in social order," said Deputy Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫). "A number of gang leaders have fled overseas to escape the crackdown. Whatever Hsiao might say about it, the ministry will definitely continue the program in the public interest."
Following his surrender yesterday, Hsiao is to face six charges, including intimidation, gaming, violation of trust, breach of electoral law, violation of liberty and illegal possession of someone else's property.
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
BIG YEAR: The company said it would also release its A12 chip the same year to keep a ‘reliable stream of new silicon technologies’ flowing to its customers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said its newest A13 chip is to enter volume production in 2029 as the chipmaker seeks to hold onto its tech leadership and demand for next-generation chips used in artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance-computing (HPC) and mobile applications. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, also unveiled its A12 chip at its annual technology symposium in Santa Clara, California. The A12 chip, which features TSMC’s super-power-rail technology to provide backside power delivery for AI and HPC applications, is also to enter volume production in 2029, a year after the scheduled release of the A14 chip. The technology moves
RSS