Sat, Oct 28, 2000 page2

• Mixed opinions over retrial of the Trio

  • By Chuang Chi-ting / STAFF REPORTER
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  Taipei Times: What do you think of the Hsichih Trio case? How do you think the case will fare in a retrial?

  Sung Ding-yi (宋丁儀), graduate school student, 24

  Although recently human rights activists have been discussing the case again, I have not seen any response from the authorities that shows they are sincere about solving the dispute.

  The government has been very weak in terms of clarifying the case. The credibility of our legal system has been undermined because even though the three involved in the case were sentenced to death years ago, their execution seems to have been permanently postponed.

  On the other hand, we know officials must have doubts about the verdict or the three would have been executed long ago. I don't understand why the case has never been thoroughly reviewed in the past, or why the president has not just pardoned them.

  President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his team always emphasize the value of human rights. But they do not dare to do anything to try and resolve the case. I really think that it is because they are concerned about the effect any decision would have, especially now that they are the ruling party.

  Athena Chen (陳盈君), social worker, 29

  If there is any problem with the case, I would say it was that evidence was collected in a very shoddy manner.

  I don't think any judge would dare to announce to the public whether these three people are guilty or not because there is so much pressure from different groups of people, such as human rights groups and the families of the three and those of the victims.

  It is better to postpone the execution until there is new evidence to say for certain one way or the other whether these three people are guilty or innocent.

  It is indeed a torture for the three and the victims' families to see the case going nowhere. But that's the way it is. It seems there is not much hope for the case to be cleared up soon.

  Tenz Shih (施典志), writer, 29

  I advocate the case be sent back to be decided once and for all by the legal system and without interference, such as presidential pardons.

  But I don't really think the case is going anywhere.

  Although there are objections and doubts from scholars and lawyers and the like, it seems that most judges just don't care about their opinions, while many people insist that the three should not be judged guilty with the current lack of evidence.
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