The family of the gunman who shot dead 32 people has apologized for the "excruciating grief" inflicted on a US campus, saying as the nation mourned that he had made "the world weep."
"Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by a horrible and senseless act," a statement issued on Friday by the family of Cho Seung-hui said.
"We are humbled by this darkness. We feel hopeless, helpless and lost," they said in the statement, which named all 32 of the victims who died in the shooting at Virginia Tech university on Monday.
Issued by 23-year-old Cho's sister, Cho Sun-kyung, the statement said that her brother was "quiet and reserved," and had "struggled to fit in."
"We never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence," the family said.
"No words can express our sadness that 32 innocent people lost their lives this week in such a terrible, senseless tragedy," the statement continued.
The statement came just after bells tolled around the country for the 27 students and five teachers mown down in a hail of gunfire when Cho rampaged through a dormitory block and a classroom complex.
Burning questions remain over whether Cho, who had been briefly hospitalized for mental health problems, should have been able to buy two guns and ammunition.
Police were probing the possibility that Cho may have confided his plans to someone else to unleash a massacre at Virginia Tech, ABC News reported.
According to the report, authorities were now seeking Cho's cellphone records from Verizon Wireless in New Jersey.
"We can never fully understand what would cause a student to take the lives of 32 innocent people," US President George W. Bush said, announcing that he had ordered a review of the questions raised by the shooting.
Top officials from the departments of education, justice and health are to travel around the country for discussions before reporting to Bush with recommendations on how to avoid such tragedies in the future.
Virginia Tech led the country in mourning on Friday, as about 1,000 people crowded onto the campus' drill-field and bowed their heads for several minutes of silence.
Amid the crying and hugging, a handful of students released 32 orange and maroon balloons each bearing a name of the dead.
"You think you've cried it all out, and then there's more," said Christine Backhus, a psychology senior from Centreville, Virginia, the same town Cho called home, who helped organize the balloon release.
Late on Friday, a huge crowd of maroon-and-orange-shirted fans turned up at a baseball game, confirming the community was ready to move ahead.
Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said the university wanted to create "an opportunity for all the students and members of the community to get off that event of Monday."
Masses, prayers and memorial services were held around the country by the university's alumni, with a special prayer service for the victims to be held yesterday in the National Cathedral in Washington.
The Virginia Tech memorial day fell on the eighth anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to