TAIWAN: Zhang presses charges against assailants

Vice chairman of ARATS visiting from China in his capacity as dean of Xiamen University's School of Journalism filed "bodily assault" charges with police

The China Post
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

TAINAN, Taiwan --- Zhang Mingqing, vice chairman of the Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), is pressing charges against his assailants at the Confucian temple in Tainan.

A mob led by Wang Ting-yu, Democratic Progressive Party Tainan city councilman, attacked Zhang, who is in Tainan where he delivered a lecture on media exchanges between Taiwan and China in his capacity as dean of the journalism school at Xiamen University Monday.

After the attack, which occurred at 10:30 a.m., Zhang placed "bodily assault" charges with police guards against DPP supporters who attacked him.

Police took records and referred the case for prosecution.

Asked for comment, Zhang said it pained him to have an unhappy encounter at the Confucian temple. "I wish to strongly condemned the violence and those who have instigated it.

"It pained me as the victim of the violence," Zhang pointed out. "But," he added, "I hope the incident is not going to affect good relations between the both sides of the Taiwan Strait."

Such action as happened in Tainan, Zhang went on, cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. "I am also convinced," he pointed out, "what a handful of people did doesn't reflect the feelings of all the people of Taiwan."

Moreover, Zhang said, what this handful of people wanted was to preclude a peaceful turn in relations across the Strait. "By staging this incident," he added, "these people are shooting their own feet."

Wang Chuo-chun, director-general of the National Police Agency, fired Chen Fu-hsiang as Tainan chief of police. Wang also asked that he himself be disciplined.

"I should take responsibility," Wang said.

Date Posted: 10/22/2008