Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Tainan City Councilor Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday proclaimed his innocence during a hearing ahead of his trial on charges of assaulting a Chinese official.
Wang is charged with inciting supporters to use violence against Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Vice Chairman Zhang Mingqing (張銘清) during his visit to Taiwan last October.
Wang told the Tainan District Court that prosecutors had ignored evidence in his favor and made false accusations against him and other defendants.
The right to protest is one of the precious rights in a democracy and holding a rally is legal and should not be punishable by law, Wang said in the court.
“I was claiming Taiwan is not a part of China during Zhang’s visit to the country, and that was aimed at protecting Taiwan’s interests,” Wang said.
Wang asked the court to summon Zhang during the hearing and said he believed the court would clear his reputation.
Six other people were indicted along with Wang and also claimed their innocence during the hearing.
Defendant Lin Chin-hsun (林進勳) told the court he had received years of anti-Communist education in school and in society. As Chang did not offer an apology for his country’s exports of toxic milk powder to Taiwan, and as he had in the past threatened to attack Taiwan with military force, Lin said he had a right to protest against a communist.
Ho Kuei-hua (何桂花), 70, who was indicted for trying to attack Zhang by hitting his car with a crutch, said she was taught to fight communists and attack China throughout her life.
Therefore when she heard people shouting that the “communists are coming,” she automatically hit Zhang’s car with her crutch.
Wang was indicted on charges of intimidation and assault, with prosecutors asking for a 14-month jail sentence.
Zhang encountered protests from Wang and several pro-independence supporters during a private visit to Tainan’s Confucius Temple. In the melee, Zhang fell to the ground and was slightly injured.
Prosecutors said video footage from the scene proved that Wang pushed Zhang causing him to fall. They also allege the actions of Wang and his supporters damaged Taiwan’s image.
Prosecutors also said that Lin, who jumped on the roof of Zhang’s car, should receive an eight-month sentence; while Tu Yung-nan (杜永南), Tseng Chao-chi (曾朝枝), Wu Ping-chin (伍平進) and Wang Chen-juei (王貞瑞) should be given six months each for trying to block Zhang’s car by standing in front of it.
Prosecutors asked for a six-month sentence for Ho.
The six were indicted on charges of intimidation, interference and for “overthrowing” democratic values.
More than 100 of Wang’s supporters appeared in front of the district court yesterday.
They shouted “Taiwan go, Taiwan go,” and “No guilt for protest. No guilt for democracy.”
Director of the DPP’s Tainan branch Chen Chin-yi (陳進益), DPP Tainan City Councilor Lee Wen-cheng (李文正) and others also turned up to show support for Wang.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
RSS