Liu Pang-yu explained

Liu Pang-yu
Native Name:劉邦友
Native Name Lang:zh
Office:Magistrate of Taoyuan County
Term Start:20 December 1989
Term End:21 November 1996
Predecessor:Hsu Hung-chih
Birth Date:30 November 1942
Birth Place:Shinchiku Prefecture, Taiwan
Death Place:Taoyuan County, Taiwan
Death Cause:Assassination
Party:KMT
Spouse:Peng Yu-ying

Liu Pang-yu (30 November 1942 – 21 November 1996) was a Taiwanese politician. He served as the Magistrate of Taoyuan County from 1989 until his assassination in 1996.[1] Taoyuan County is now Taoyuan City, and the office of the Magistrate is now the office of the Mayor.

Allegations

The Control Yuan indicted Liu due to his role in a corruption case involving the extracting of around $360 million U.S. dollars from the Chungli Farmers' Association. Liu also had been placed under investigation in a separate land speculation deal. Asiaweek reported that some people said that he forged his master's degree. For seven years prosecutors attempted to place Liu in prison.[1]

Death

On November 21, 1996, Liu and seven others died in an "execution style" shooting at his residence.[2] A county councilor survived the incident but suffered serious head injuries, memory loss, and a severed spinal cord.

Police believe that two killers entered the residence in the early morning, surprising the guards, who were about to change shifts. After subduing the guards, the killers took the guards' guns and bullets, rounded up the occupants of the residence, and bound them.[3] After blindfolding the victims and forcing them to kneel, the killers shot them in their heads.[1] The killers stole a car from one of the victims (Chuang Shun-hsing); a secretary (Liang Mei-chiao) was still in the car, but she was left at the base of Hutou Mountain, where the killers stopped to rendezvous with their accomplices and abandon the stolen car.

Residence Occupants

Investigations and Theories

Authorities have not solved the crime; some Taiwanese police believe that Chinese gang members recruited by "a local group" killed Liu and the others.[4] [5] Some investigators believe that "conflicts of interest" in Liu's politics led to his death.[1] Others believe that Liu's guards may have been involved in gambling.[6]

One of the key suspects in Liu's murder, Yang Shih-kang escaped police custody in 1999.[7] He had a history of abducting politicians and smuggling weapons, which led police to suspect him for Liu's murder. Yang was initially arrested in 1999 after returning to Taiwan; while under police escort to locate his hidden weapon caches, Yang overpowered his escort and escaped with the help of accomplices. Yang was later detained in 2003 in Xiamen on an unrelated robbery charge.

The statute of limitations ran out in 2016, closing the case, which prompted some DPP lawmakers to propose the removal of the twenty-year statute for murder cases and major economic crimes.[8]

Impact

At the time the shooting was the deadliest mass murder in Taiwanese history, and Liu was the only high-ranking government official to be assassinated in his term. The nature of the shootings and the photographs of the aftermath shocked the Taiwanese.[1]

A special by-election was held on 15 March 1997 to fill the vacant office of Taoyuan County Magistrate; Annette Lu of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected, defeating Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Fang Li-hsiu and breaking the KMT hold on the office.[9] The execution-style slaying of Liu was thought to have revealed governmental corruption, which was cited as one reason Lu won, despite pre-election polls predicting a KMT victory.[10]

Liu's death, along with two later well-publicized murder cases, led to mass demonstrations in May 1997. Demonstrators marched on 4 May 1997[11] and 18 May 1997,[12] demanding Premier Lien Chan's resignation[13] [14] over the perceived rise in violent crime as evidenced by the then-unsolved murders of Pai Hsiao-yen, Peng Wan-ru,[15] and Liu Pang-yu.

See also

References

Bibliography & External Links

Notes and References

  1. News: 'Conflicts of Interest': A gangster-style killing highlights dirty politics . Eyton. Laurence . 6 December 1996 . . August 16, 2006 . December 6, 1996. http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/96/1206/nat4.html.
  2. News: EDITORIAL: Time to focus on preventing crime . Yang, Yung-nane . . April 26, 2006 . 13 January 2015 .
  3. News: Eight Dead in Killings at Taoyuan County Commissioner's Residence . Wang, Anna . Chen, Marlene . Newell, Phil (translator) . December 1996 . Taiwan Panorama . 5 January 2015 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054230/http://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/show_issue.php?js=no&id=1996128512094E.TXT&table=3&cur_page=1&distype=text . dead .
  4. News: EDITORIAL: Crackdown on cross-strait crime . . . July 7, 2005 . 13 January 2015 .
  5. News: Three years on, her killer is still at large . Lin, Irene . . November 30, 1999 . 13 January 2015 .
  6. News: NPA hopes to extradite gunmen from mainland . . 21 January 2003 . The China Post . Taipei . 13 January 2015 .
  7. News: Suspected murderer of former Taoyuan County official escapes police . . 20 September 1999 . Taipei Times . 5 January 2015 .
  8. News: DPP urges change to Criminal Code . Pan, Jason . 2 December 2016 . Taipei Times . 10 July 2017.
  9. Web site: DPP celebrates landslide victory in Taoyuan County election . . 21 March 1997 . Taiwan Info . Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 2 January 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230626/http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=15087&CtNode=103&htx_TRCategory=&mp=4 . 2016-03-03 .
  10. News: 桃園縣長補選,民進黨大捷 . Democratic Progressive Party Candidate Wins Big in Taoyuan County Executive By-Election . Chen, Elaine . Chen, Marlene . Newell, Phil (translator) . April 1997 . Taiwan Panorama . 13 January 2015 . https://archive.today/20150118115220/http://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/show_issue.php?id=199748604082E.TXT&table=3&cur_page=1&distype= . January 18, 2015 . live . Alt URL
  11. News: 15,000 in demo against crime . . 5 May 1997 . New Straits Times . 5 January 2015 .
  12. News: Marchers Demand That Premier Resign . . 19 May 1997 . Spokesman-Review . 5 January 2015 .
  13. News: Chen Chin-hsing set to be executed . . 6 October 1999 . Taipei Times . 2 January 2015 .
  14. Web site: Premier under fire over killings . . 9 May 1997 . Taiwan Info . Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 2 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235537/http://taiwaninfo.nat.gov.tw/fp.asp?xItem=15239&CtNode=103 . 2016-03-03 . dead .
  15. News: Taiwan in uproar over girl's killing . Furse, Jane . News Wire . 11 May 1997 . New York Daily News . 2 January 2015 .