September 23, 2020
During the era of martial law, the Taiwan police used to be a magic weapon to prevent children from crying at night! Unexpectedly, the police in the 21st century gave a kind-hearted grandma volunteer such a fright that she was diagnosed with traumatic stress syndrome by a doctor overnight! On Sept. 19, Ms. Huang, a volunteer for the Legal and Tax Reform League, held a sign on a sidewalk in the City of Zhubei in order to call on the government to redress the fake Tai Ji Men case. A dozen police officers from the Liu-Jia Police Station in Zhubei said they caught her in the act and arrested her. She was then sent to the Prosecutors Office around midnight. The police’s abuse of power has caused public outrage!
On the morning of September 23, the Legal and Tax Reform League and the Action Alliance to Redress 1219 held a press conference in the Legislative Yuan on "Uncovering the Secret Behind Ms. Huang’s Fear and Tears-The People of Taiwan Support Ms. Huang and Reject State Violence.” Legislator Cheng Cheng-Chien; Legislator Hung Meng-kai; Chairman Lin Junlin of the Chinese Orthodox Alliance; Associate Professor Wei Si-Tsong at Fu Jen Catholic University; domestic rescue expert Dr. Liu Mingche; Tsai Ching-Mei, volunteer defense lawyer for Tai Ji Men; and hundreds of volunteers for the Legal and Tax Reform League all came to show their support for Ms. Huang. They made three demands: 1. Reject state violence. 2. Support Ms. Huang. 3. Stop the 24-year human rights abuse against Tai Ji Men. Press conferences were also held in Hsinchu and Taichung simultaneously, and experts, scholars, and representatives of the people condemned the police’s abuse of power.
The incident was videotaped and is available online at http://yt1.piee.pw/uqdk8.
It is reported that Ms. Hunag was arrested that day because Lee Kui-fen, the chief officer at the Hsinchu Branch of the Enforcement Agency, filed a complaint the day before (18th). Some scholars at the press conferences said this was like shooting an arrow first and then drawing a target. Lee filed a complaint first without specifying who would defame her, and the police officers randomly arrested Ms. Huang and accused her of defaming Lee. Today (23rd), the Hsinchu Enforcement Agency will also allocate land claims and divide credits. According to reports, prosecutors will launch a large-scale arrest. It is said that for people who are concerned about legal and tax reform, if they make noises in protest, they will be fined and if they hold signs in protest, they will be arrested. If this is true, then this will seriously undermine human rights in Taiwan. The Legal and Tax Reform League and supporters from all walks of life demand that legislators uphold justice and prevent officials from abusing their power and oppressing vulnerable people.
Professor Chen Tze-Lung, a legal expert, said that the police suddenly ordered all volunteers to be investigated. The police officers from Liu-Jia Police Station in Hsinchu were very rude and did not take law professors seriously. They were obviously following someone’s order. The volunteers had been holding signs in protest for eight weeks and no one was arrested. Because today Tai Ji Men’s property is about to be split among the government agencies, so the police started to arrest people. He denounced the police officers for abusing their power. The police is a constitutional organ and should be administered in accordance with the law to protect the rights and interests of the people, rather than to protect specific government officials’ personal interests.
Legislator Cheng Cheng-Chien pointed out that the incident about Ms. Hunag showed that there are different standards for the protection of freedom of speech in the country! Obviously, there is still a long way to go before the freedom of speech and human rights, guaranteed by the Constitution, can be implemented. He said that he didn't even know that Tai Ji Men had been bullied because of a fake case for 24 years. He also called on the government to implement freedom of speech and protect human rights. When there is a gap between the government and public opinion, people have the right to express their opinions.
Legislator Hung Mengkai said when he saw the police saying, “I will arrest you if you are recording this” in the video, he was surprised. Is this the Republic of China that prides itself on upholding democracy, the rule of law, and freedom? Is this the treatment that the people, protected by the Constitution, should receive? He also praised that 99% of the police are defending democracy and protecting human rights, and he does not want a few people to abuse their power to undermine Taiwan's image. He emphasized that this is a major issue of right and wrong, and called on everyone, no matter which political party they belonged, to pay attention to this issue. After the Legislative Yuan is in session, he would also ask the relevant agencies to give the people an answer.
Chairman Lin Junlin also said that Tai Ji Men has suffered injustice for 24 years, but it has always used a rational, peaceful, and conscientious way to make appeals. He hopes that the relevant government agencies will come forward to resolve the case. Tai Ji Men is not causing trouble. Such actions taken by the law enforcement agencies also made him worry that this is no longer only a matter of Tai Ji Men, because the Chinese Orthodox Alliance is also a manpei (similar to school) that has its belief, culture, and heritage.
A few days ago, Professor Tseng Chien-yuan mentioned that the Hsinchu Enforcement Agency would distribute property today and would send additional local police to carry out a mass arrest. This is reminiscent of the "228 Incident." "Is this another Formosa Incident?” The police are supposed to protect the people’s freedom of speech. He reminded Lee Kui-fen and prosecutors to fulfill their responsibilities as government officials. Today is a crucial day for Taiwan’s democracy. The people should stand up, and if there is a major arrest, they will fight nonviolently.
The Legal and Tax Reform League pointed out that Tai Ji Men did not owe any taxes but its land was illegally auctioned off by the Enforcement Agency. Before the auction, the official document of the Enforcement Agency stated that the performance credits should be split in half between two branches. The public questioned that the enforcement officer would receive a big bonus. The Tai Ji Men case originated from prosecutor Hou Kuan-jen’s abuse of power in 1996. The National Taxation Bureau issued false tax bills for six years from 1991 to 1996 based on the false indictment. The Supreme Court’s final judgment in 2007 confirmed that Tai Ji Men was not guilty of fraud, tax evasion, or violation of the Tax Collection Act. Last year, the taxation bureau corrected the taxes related to the red envelopes for the five years--1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 to zero. Only the tax bills for 1992 haven’t been corrected to zero, which violated the principle of administrative consistency and administrative self-restraint. The Administrative Enforcement Agency even illegally auctioned Tai Ji Men’s land in Miaoli Mountain. After two unsuccessful auctions, the land was confiscated by the government. The auction process was full of procedural flaws, but the government completely ignored Tai Ji Men’s objections.
Ms. Huang, who was traumatized physically and mentally, still needs a wheelchair to get around. Her daughter said that her mother was about to go home that day and was waiting for her brother to pick her up on the roadside. Then she was abused by the police. The police officers even took a poster from the bag on the ground, put it in her hands, and claimed that they caught her in the act. So far, not only has her mother suffered physical and mental trauma, but the whole family has also been affected. Her brother was also questioned by the police, and they worry if their house would be bugged.
At the press conference in Hsinchu, many live broadcasters came to show their concern. They heard that the Legal and Tax Reform League applied for the right of way 15 times in the past two months, but they were rejected 15 times. The rejection rate was 100%. In the past four years, more than 40,000 applications were filed in Taiwan, the rejection rate was 0.07%, Ching & Lin said that if this is not discrimination, what is? They also questioned why the county magistrate and other competent authorities had not expressed any concern about the police’s abuse of power.
Concerned netizens left messages on social media pages: "Officials are ruthless. Taiwan’s police officers have become like those in Hong Kong?" "Is a great escape happening in Taiwan on September 23?", "Confiscating your home? Illegal auction of the people's land and splitting bonus!!!", "A lie became true after 24 years? If I keep saying your property is mine, then it will become true??", "Abuse of power! Lee Kui-fen"
A public statement by the Legal and Tax Reform League is available at：https://reurl.cc/9X4XZY。
P1. The Legal and Tax Reform League and the Action Alliance to Redress 1219 held a press conference in the Legislative Yuan on "Uncovering the Secret Behind Ms. Huang’s Fear and Tears-The People of Taiwan Support Ms. Huang and Reject State Violence.”
P2. Legislator Cheng Cheng-Chien voiced his support for Ms. Huang and accepted the petition.
P3. Legislator Hung Meng-kai accepted the petition and denounced state violence.