3-19 shooting incident
Encyclopedia
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempt on President
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
and Vice President Annette Lu
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
while they were campaigning in Tainan on March 19, 2004, the day before Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's presidential election
ROC presidential election, 2004
The Election for the 11th-term President and Vice-President of the Republic of China , the third direct presidential election in Taiwan's history and the 11th presidential election overall under the 1947 Chinese Constitution, was held on March 20, 2004...
. Their injuries were not life-threatening, and both Chen and Lu were released from Chi-Mei Hospital on the same day without losing consciousness or undergoing surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
.
The attack provoked shock and unease in Taiwan, where political violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
of this kind was commonplace against non-KMT
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
members 40 years earlier. Reaction to the incident divided along partisan lines, with some pan-Blue supporters believing the incident was faked in order to win the sympathy of voters in the upcoming election, which Chen and Lu won by 29,500 votes. In August 2005, the case was officially closed with all evidence pointing to a single deceased suspect, Chen Yi-hsiung
Chen Yi-hsiung
Chen Yi-hsiung is the prime suspect in the 3-19 shooting incident, a failed attempt to assassinate the president of Taiwan Chen Shui-bian, and perhaps vice president Annette Lu, on 19 March 2004, one day prior to the 2004 presidential election...
, but Chen's opponents as well as Annette Lu have insisted on the continuation of the investigation.
Sequence of events
President Chen and Vice President Lu were standing in the back seat of an open convertibleConvertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
Jeep moving slowly through a crowded street. One bullet penetrated the windshield of the American Jeep, ripped through multiple layers of clothing, grazed Chen's stomach and was stopped in his clothes. Chen received a flesh wound 8 cm long and 2 cm deep (four inches long, an inch wide, and an inch deep). The other bullet penetrated the windshield and hit the vice president's knee cast (she was wearing a knee cast due to an earlier injury) and was found in the Jeep. At first both believed that they had been hit by firecrackers, which are common in Taiwanese political parades and rallies. Chen realized that it was something more serious when he noticed that he was bleeding from the abdomen and that there was a bullet hole in the window.
- At around 1:45 pm, Chen reported pain in his abdomen, and Lu, in her knee.
- At 2:00 pm, they were both taken to the Chi-Mei Hospital.
- At 3:30 pm, the spokesperson for the president, Chiou I-JenChiou I-jenChiou I-jen , born May 9, 1950, was a Vice Premier of the Republic of China between May 17, 2007 to May 6, 2008.-Early career:Chiou was born in 1950 in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. He earned a BA in philosophy from National Taiwan University in 1972, and subsequently attended the...
, announced that the "National Security Mechanism" has been activated. - At 5:30 pm, both the Pan-Blue and Pan-Green coalitions announced that they would cease all scheduled campaigning activities.
- At 5:45 pm, the hospital announced that the president had suffered an 11 cm long, 2 cm wide gash across his abdomen.
- At 6:00 pm, two shells were found on the campaign route where the apparent assassination attempt took place.
- At 9:00 pm, the president returned to his official residence.
- At 11:00 pm, in a video released to the public, the president urged the Taiwanese people to remain calm and indicated that neither his health nor the security of Taiwan was threatened.
The next day's election was not postponed, as Taiwanese law only allows for suspension of election upon the death of a candidate. Chen's opponent, Lien Chan
Lien Chan
Lien Chan is a politician in Taiwan. He was Premier of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1997, Vice President of the Republic of China from 1996 to 2000, and was the Chairman of the Kuomintang from 2000 to 2005...
, and Lien's campaign manager Wang Jin-ping tried to visit Chen on the night of the incident, but were unable to see the president because he was resting. Chen Shui-bian appeared in public the next day when he turned out to cast his vote.
Investigation beginning
Within hours, police announced that the crime was not political, and that the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
was not involved. In Internet chat room
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
s and on talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
, some Pan-Blue supporters theorized
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
that the incident was staged in order for Chen to gain sympathy votes. Meanwhile, some Pan-Green supporters theorized
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
that the assassination was a part of China and those pro-China politicians' plot to claim Chen's life and crush Taiwan's democracy. The rumor of a failed assassination plotted by China spread rapidly among pro-independence underground radio networks in hours.
These speculations were (and still are), however, considered highly offensive by both camps, and were not condoned by the leaderships of the two sides until after Chen had already won the election.
Two bullet casings were found by a civilian under a police car after it was driven away. The casings found suggested that only two shots were fired at the motorcade. Their assembly also suggested that they were fired from home-made guns. It is unclear as to whether they were fired from the same gun, or from different guns.
The police did not find or identify any suspect involved in the shooting. There were several people the police wanted to question based on erratic behavior, such as leaving the scene in a hurry as recorded by surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
. A few people showed up after they recognized themselves on the broadcast footage, but these proved to be inconclusive.
The bullet trajectory proposed by the police was that a bullet struck the windshield, entered Lu's knee, and then fell out. Another bullet fired from the Jeep's side struck Chen's stomach and traveled through his jacket and lodged in the rear of the jacket until recovered by the hospital staff.
Investigation conclusion
On March 29, three American forensic scientists arrived in Taiwan to help with the investigation. They were Dr. Cyril WechtCyril Wecht
Dr. Cyril Harrison Wecht is an American forensic pathologist. He has been a consultant in numerous high-profile cases, but is perhaps best known for his criticism of the Warren Commission's findings concerning the assassination of John F...
, a forensic expert, Michael Haag, an expert on bullet trajectory, and Timothy Palmbach, an expert on crime scene integrity. Wecht personally examined Chen's belly and concluded it was consistent with a gunshot wound.
They were followed by Henry C. Lee on April 9. After examining the Jeep, he deduced that the shots were fired from the outside because there were shards of glass on the Jeep's floor. But due to the incompleteness of evidence preservation, and the lack of an accurate record on the Jeep's speed at the day of procession, he pointed out that it might be impossible to determine from which direction the bullets entered the Jeep.
Interior Minister Yu Cheng-hsien announced his resignation on April 4, and National Security Bureau director Tsai Chao-ming stepped down the week before to take responsibility for the shooting, in keeping with the Taiwanese tradition that government officials take responsibility for perceived or implied dereliction of duty.
On August 24, 2004, the Pan-Blue controlled Legislative Yuan
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
approved legislation setting up the "3-19 truth investigative commission" to probe the shooting. According to the number of seats they have in the current 5th Legislative Yuan
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
, each party will appoint members for the new commission. The commission will have the right to interview government officials and demand documents, and will be asked to present its findings to the legislature infinitely without time constraint. As part of the law, no one is permitted to elect silence or to influence the commission's investigation. The commission is also authorized to command a government prosecuting attorney, to unilaterally utilize the disaster reserve funds from the Executive Yuan
Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
, and to override court verdicts. Because such a law was suspected unconstitutional, the Pan-Green Coalition
Pan-Green Coalition
The Pan-Green Coalition or Pan-Green Camp, is an informal political alliance of the Republic of China, commonly known as "Taiwan", consisting of the Democratic Progressive Party , Taiwan Solidarity Union , and the minor Taiwan Independence Party...
opposed the commission. Some Taiwanese nationals actually referred the commission as the "3-19 truth in-the-making commission".
Dr. Henry C. Lee submitted a 130-page report and a CD containing 150 photos to Andrew Hsia, director general of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York on August 29, 2004. He concluded that the incident was not a planned assassination attempt because "a more powerful weapon than a homemade pistol would have been used." He was unable to make a conclusive report, but indicated his findings would help locate the gun and its factory. Dr. Lee's findings prompted immediate outrage from conspiracy theorists as it did not fit well with either side.
On September 9, 2004, three men – Yeh Ho-chiang, 37, Chen Ching-hung, 33, and Huang Chin-shou, 43 – were arrested at an illegal weapons factory near Tainan possessing bullets matching those found at the crime scene.
On March 7, 2005, Taiwanese police held a conference about the shooting incident. Two suspects were named; Chen Yi-Hsun and Huang Hung-Ren. Both of them were found dead shortly after the 319 incident. Chen was living in the vicinity and resembled one of the unknown persons shown on police tapes in the hotzone (the "yellow coat bald guy"). The tape was released by the police on March 26, 2004, and Chen was found drowned in a harbor on March 28, exactly two days later. The connection between Chen and the weapon maker was established by confirming Chen as being the 5th hand of a possible weapon; additionally family members of Chen stated that he left suicide notes, which according to the Taiwanese police's interpretation hinted that he committed the crime, though the notes had been burned by the family, and the interpretation held by the police is at best tenuous. Additionally the family members were reported to have recalled strange behavior of Chen following the 3-19 shooting. On the other hand, Huang also committed suicide with a gun that was made from the same manufacturer as that of the incident, and the bullet found shared traits with the one that hit the Vice-President.
On August 17, 2005, the case was officially closed after the investigators concluded that Chen acted alone. However, while there were no large-scale protests, there continue to be lingering doubts among a substantial part of the population of both sides. Lien, who happened to be leaving office as KMT chairman on the same day, publicly expressed disbelief. A China Times
China Times
The China Times is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in Traditional Chinese. It is one of the four biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other three being the Liberty Times, United Daily News, and Apple Daily ....
poll purportedly showed that only 19% of the surveyed persons believe that there had been a sufficiently thorough investigation. Pan-Blue legislators have called for continued investigation of the case, as has one of the victims, Vice President Lu.