Two US lawmakers have introduced a bill to award a medal to John Cheng (鄭達志), a Taiwanese-American doctor who was killed last month in a confrontation with a shooter at a church in California.
US representatives Katie Porter and Michelle Steel, whose districts are in the Orange County area where the incident occurred, earlier this month introduced legislation to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on Cheng.
They called Cheng “a hero who died protecting others.”
Photo: CNA
On May 15, Cheng, 52, and his mother met members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church at a gathering in Laguna Woods, California, when they were attacked by a man reportedly angered by Taiwan’s independence movement.
Witnesses said Cheng was shot after charging the shooter and trying to disarm him, which enabled other congregants to restrain the man and likely saved the lives of the other 40 people in the building.
Five other people were injured in the attack, while Taiwanese-American David Wenwei Chou (周文偉), 68, has been charged with crimes, including premeditated murder.
In a June 22 statement, Porter praised Cheng as a “hero” who “undoubtedly saved lives when he charged the gunman attacking his mother’s church.”
Steel said that “with his bravery, [Cheng] saved dozens of other lives and prevented an even bigger tragedy from occurring.”
“I’m proud to support this effort to award him with a Congressional Gold Medal so that his courage will never be forgotten,” she said.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the US Congress’ highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished acts by individuals or institutions. Along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, it is the US’ highest civilian award.
While the US House of Representatives does not have specific rules for awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, it typically requires two-thirds of its members to approve a resolution before a committee would review it.
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday criticized the nuclear energy referendum scheduled for Saturday next week, saying that holding the plebiscite before the government can conduct safety evaluations is a denial of the public’s right to make informed decisions. Lai, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), made the comments at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting at its headquarters in Taipei. ‘NO’ “I will go to the ballot box on Saturday next week to cast a ‘no’ vote, as we all should do,” he said as he called on the public to reject the proposition to reactivate the decommissioned
TALKS CONTINUE: Although an agreement has not been reached with Washington, lowering the tariff from 32 percent to 20 percent is still progress, the vice premier said Taiwan would strive for a better US tariff rate in negotiations, with the goal being not just lowering the current 20-percent tariff rate, but also securing an exemption from tariff stacking, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday. Cheng made the remarks at a news conference at the Executive Yuan explaining the new US tariffs and the government’s plans for supporting affected industries. US President Donald Trump on July 31 announced a new tariff rate of 20 percent on Taiwan’s exports to the US starting on Thursday last week, and the Office of Trade Negotiations on Friday confirmed that it
RSS