The China Times reported yesterday (h/t to maddog) that the government is going to abolish the Ten Most Wanted List, which contains a slew of KMT criminals who now reside in China. Think maybe the list focused too much attention on the number of major criminals who once held high position in the KMT?Among the names mentioned in the article as being on the list are those of Chen Yu-hao, the accused embezzler who left Taiwan with billions, and Chu An-hsiung, who once spent $10 million US to buy the Kaoshiung city council speaker election, one of the island's most celebrated crooks. Both fled across the strait, where Chen Yu-hao is widely reputed to be China's single biggest taxpayer. Instead of the large rewards (NT$10 million) offered for the criminals, Taiwan is merely offering a paltry million NT.
DPP legislators claimed that the changes would demoralize prosecutors.
In related news, Yen Ching-piao is going to be paroled based on "good behavior" and time served. Yen, who came up through the KMT but was eased out of the party and eventually joined the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, a party for local faction politicians, was actually elected out of prison at one point, where he was serving time for a number of serious felonies. Like many local faction politicians, Yen rose to power based on gravel and religion. He of course maintains close links to the KMT, and his son's wedding was attended by KMT heavyweights.
UPDATE: Forgot to add the clincher! Yes, Chen Shui-bian's detention was extended by another two months.
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11 comments:
See this follow up report from the Taipei Times today:
In response to reports that the Executive Yuan had abolished a list of the nation’s 10 most-wanted fugitives, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said yesterday that the fugitives were still “wanted” and the Executive Yuan was simply handing the matter back to the ministry...
Huang said that as it was the responsibility of crime-fighting agencies, such as the judiciary and police departments, to capture criminals — not the Executive Yuan — so the move was a “back to basics” measure.
The Investigation Bureau confirmed that the cash rewards had been lowered from NT$10 million to between NT$50,000 and NT$1 million, but it said bureau officials are no less determined to capture the remaining fugitives on the list.
"a paltry million"? For most Taiwanese people one million NT is more than their salary so it's hardly paltry. Bottom line, forget the reward, if you want to genuinely catch a crook you will. If you don't want to you wont.
Michael wrote: UPDATE: Forgot to add the clincher! Yes, Chen Shui-bian's detention was extended by another two months. Michael,
I'd like to add a note that among the many "justifications" the "judges" provided for the extention of Chen's detention are:
(1) Chen "raised high the flag (i.e. the principle) of justice and criticized the Justice as being injust".
(NOTE: interested people should check on what Ma Ying-Jeou said at the presss conference on Feb 13, 2007 upon being prosecuted for transferring tens of millions of NT$ to his private account. There, he said that the judicial system was "a roaring wolf in the dark, cold night, where injustice falls upon good people". One has to wonder, why he was not detained.)
(2) Chen went on hunger strike, "showing contempt".
NOTE: The Taiepi detention center also "punished" Chen a couple of times for going on hunger strike by disallowing him the daily walk out of cell.
NOTE2: WANG CHING-FENG Minister of Justice, also said in public (in front of cameras) that the Justice will not allow itself to be "blackmailed" by a hunger strike.
(3) Chen "cheated the public" by claiming to have health issues at the court "while he in fact does not have health issues".
(4) Chen has been invited by some DPP members to re-join DPP, showing that Chen still has "influence". NOTE: The "judges" didn't write further, but one has to presume that they believe such "influence" would allow Chen to fabricate false evidences or witnesses in his own favor; thus, there is the need to further detain him?
My opinion: Taiwan is changing from a respect-worthy new democracy to a ridiculous banana republic.
Related to my note that Taiwan is becoming a banana republic, I'd like to add one more piece of bizarre news:
Mr. Luo Wen-chia, an ex-Legislator (DPP) in Taipei County, plans to form a company "Dang-Wai The Second Time Publishing Co. Ltd." [my translation] to publish a magazine "Movement". His application to register his company was rejected yesterday (May 12) by the Ma regime.
Reason? The term "Dang-Wai"(黨外) would "jeopardize the good (moral) custom of the society" (妨害社會善良風俗).
The Liberty Times reported that, today (May 13), Mr. Luo intends to submit 10 more alternative names to register his company; including "Ma Ying-jeou is afraid of Dang-Wai Publishing Co. Ltd." , "Ma Ying-jeou suppresses Dang-Wai publishing Co. Ltd.", etc. We'll see how the Ma regime reacts.
NOTE: "Dang-wai" literally means "outside of the [Chinese Nationalist] Party (KMT)", it was a term used to denote the opposition before 1986, when Martial Law ruled Taiwan and forming new political parties was illegal. "The Party" at that time meant KMT; thus, there was no other KMT-acceptable way to refer to the then political dissents than "Outside of the Party."
No English newspaper reported it so far, so, I am including a link to news piece in Chinese: http://www.nownews.com/2009/05/12/91-2449611.htm
Has anyone stopped to think that now that the PRC and the KMT are cooperating on having police on both sides of the Strait that if the 10 most wanted list were kept, then the PRC would have greater pressure to return some of the crooks that fled there.
Also if the reward is lessened, there will be less motivation from the PRC side to cooperate in bringing justice; the KMT could easily outbid a lesser reward.
"a paltry million"? For most Taiwanese people one million NT is more than their salary so it's hardly paltry. Bottom line, forget the reward, if you want to genuinely catch a crook you will. If you don't want to you wont.10 million would get someone in the underworld to turn someone in. 1 million would not. 1 million is good enough for your average Joe, but your average Joe doesn't have very much information to share either.
For people who face ostracization or retribution for providing information about very, very serious crimes, there is a huge different between the two amounts.
The Luo Wen-jia story will be on FTV English News tonight. Channel 53 at 11:40pm.
I'm translating it right now and it does sound bizarre.
My opinion: Taiwan is changing from a respect-worthy new democracy to a ridiculous banana republic.--
you mean its back to "before DPP" times?
---Chen "raised high the flag---
Socrates killed himself just only to support of the Law, democracy and the state.
--Reason? The term "Dang-Wai.. ..No English newspaper reported it so far--
He should use native languages and writing(at best without chinese writing pictures). noone of those ocupants will get his point until it is way to late and his firm became popular in the city.
..and you should start to spend a boutle of the best beer for everyone businesman who use native languges in his firms name. makes taiwanese indepence more popular than all bitching about in internet.. just remember all shit about french fries. (sorry if i was to rude)
PC..
love the chinese harmony... I SAID; LOVE IT!
One additional note (also a very bizarre news):
DPP Chair, Ms. Tsai Ing-wen, had to change her plan to visit Chen Shui-Bian at the Taipei Detention Center today (May 13); she has to wait until tomorrow to do it.
Reason? The Taipei Detention Center is punishing Chen Sui-Biwn for going on hunger strike by disallowing him to receive visitors for one day (today, May 13).
Note that all KMT/China controlled media outlets have been using the term "fasting" (禁食), instead of "hunger strike" (絶食), to report on Chen's status. Even the CNA (Central News Agency) is using the term "fasting" in its (Chinese) report items.
The most bizarre aspect is that the Taipei Detention Center also uses the term "fasting" to describe the behavior (of Chen), for which it rendered the "punishment" (actually, "懲處" is the term the Taipei Detention Center used, it literally means "punishing sentence").
If someone "fasts" out of religious reason, will they punish him/her?
Do they even operate on logic?
This is shameful. The KMT is so corrupt they are above the law.
Do they even operate on logic?--
propaganda and politicaly control was never about logics, its about feelings and the "head dominance"..
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