Tainan City Councilor Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) of the Democratic Progressive Party said he would not apologize for his actions at Tainan’s Confucius Temple on Tuesday and he challenged Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Vice Chairman Zhang Mingqing (張銘清) to sue him.
“I did not hit anyone,” Wang said during a tearful tirade at a press conference. “I welcome Mr Zhang Mingqing to take me to court all the way, but he must recognize the legal jurisdiction of the Republic of China.”
Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) said on Tuesday that Zhang had filed a formal complaint against those involved in the melee.
Zhang arrived Taipei on Sunday in his capacity as dean of the Xiamen University’s School of Journalism for an academic forum in Tainan City. He was approached by Wang and a group of protestors during a sightseeing trip to the temple. A scuffle broke out and Zhang fell, losing his glasses.
Wang insisted yesterday that he had not pushed Zhang and had actually tried to help him up.
He also protested the demotion of Tainan City Police Bureau Commissioner Chen Fu-hsiang (陳富祥), who was transferred and slapped with a demerit for allegedly failing to protect Zhang.
The National Police Agency announced on Tuesday night that Chen would be transferred to be deputy director-general of the National Highway Police Bureau to take responsibility for the incident.
Chen’s transfer and disciplinary action against other police officers were announced after Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) apologized for the incident and vowed the ministry would launch an investigation to determine if law enforcement authorities had failed in their duties.
Tainan prosecutors have also launched an investigation. They said anyone found to have “illegally bullied” Zhang was likely to face charges of hampering freedom, assault and damaging property.
Accompanied by his wife, who also cried at the press conference, Wang said he was only been trying to protect Taiwan’s sovereignty and that Zhang’s statement of “no Taiwan independence, no war” was extremely unfriendly and offensive to Taiwan.
“Don’t I have the right to express my displeasure when the enemy makes such a declaration while on my turf?” Wang asked.
The city councilor said he bore sole responsibility for the incident and warned that anyone who tried to harm his family would have to answer to him.
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