Academics condemned the shooting of President Chen Shui-bian (
"This shooting is totally against human values, and it is an attempt to hinder Taiwan's fight for democracy," said Ku Chung-hwa (
Ku said that it was fortunate that nothing worse had happened to the president, which might have led to the unthinkable.
"It is total luck that nothing worse transpired, or Taiwan would have to face complete chaos where both political camps would point fingers at each other," Ku said.
Ku said that throughout history, violence has been a means to achieving political ends.
"Throughout the history of humanity, assassination has been a means to achieve political goals for politicians. However, such violence is to be condemned," Ku said.
Lee Shiao-feng (
"Whoever is behind this shooting is like the anti-imperialist Boxer Rebellion, which totally ignored what human rights stand for," Lee said.
The Boxer Rebellion was a group of xenophobic nationalists in 1900 who believed that their martial arts skills made them immune to Western weapons.
Lee also said that the shooter or shooters in yesterday's incident must have been educated under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) system.
"At this point, there is no doubt that whoever was involved in the shooting incident was educated under the KMT system. However, I don't believe that the KMT did it, because it was not a judicious move at all," Lee said.
Yesterday's shooting brought back memories of the accident that crippled first lady Wu Shu-chen (
On Nov. 18, 1985, Chen lost his bid for Tainan County commissioner. As Wu was traveling around the county after the election on behalf of her husband to thank voters for their support, she was run over by a truck -- several times -- in a dead-end street. The driver never stood trial.
That day, Chen's campaign headquarter received an anonymous phone call warning him not to run for political office again.
A memoir about Wu, The Story of Lady A-bian (
Wu pointed out in the book that "I believe this incident had everything to do with the election."
The incident left Wu, then 33 years old, paralyzed from the waist down and reliant upon a wheelchair.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
The Tainan District Court has found a teenager guilty of posting a sexually explicit video of his girlfriend on social media without consent. The court ruled his parents were legally responsible for the boy’s actions, and ordered NT$500,000 (US$16,051) to be paid in compensation to the victim. The incident took place in December last year, when the boy and his girlfriend, both under 18 and legally minors at the time of the incident, were in a relationship. The boy asked her to send him explicit videos, according to a court filing. A month later, he posted the video on social media, with its visibility
RSS