10,000 Taiwanese prisoners pardoned for no particular reason

I don't have an article right now, I'll look for one later, but it's big news here. I mentioned it in another thread, but I wanted to mention it again and see what other people here thought about it.

Of the prisoner's pardoned, most were in for drug related offences, though a few were in for theft, breaking and entering, assault, and 69 of them were in for homicide (2 guesses how I remember that number so precisely).

So, at least 6 of the prisoners have died of overdoses since being released, 30 or so have been rearrested... and, this one's the kicker, one of them has been arrested for murder.

He beat (I'm not even going to say allegedly, there were at least 10 witnesses) a professor to death at National Taiwan University. I hate that no one stepped in to protect that man from this insane nutball... though what I hate worse is this county's dumbass, condescending, hick fucking president who let it happen. I loathe that man (who people have dubbed 'greaseball') more and more as the days go on.

To give you an idea of how much of a wank he is, he always refers to himself in the 3rd person. Not only that, he refers to himself by his "affectionate nickname" in the 3rd person.

The reason for this mass prisoner release, as I see it, is to take attention away from him and his son in law, who are both entangled in a corruption scandal. It's working, but hopefully this turns out to be more devestating for him.

I so wouldn't break if I saw him crossing the street in front of me, I swear.

Murder sparks partisan quarrel
BLAME: Following the murder of a professor, allegedly by a drug offender released under a recent commutation, lawmakers pointed fingers
By Flora Wang, Ko Shu-ling and Mo Yan-chih
Wednesday, Jul 25, 2007

Pan-blue and pan-green legislators pointed fingers at each other yesterday over a professor believed to have been beaten to death on Monday by an amnestied prisoner.

Yang Chen-tang (楊振堂), a drug offender released this month under the commutation, is suspected of murdering Hsieh Huann-jui (謝煥儒), an associate professor of National Taiwan University's (NTU) department of plant pathology and microbiology. Hsieh was riding his bicycle when he was attacked near Taipei's Youth Park at approximately 10am.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday slammed President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Ministry of Justice for granting commutation to inmates without first formulating a "complete set of policies to help them rehabilitate," while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said the KMT should be blamed for increasing the scope of the amnesty.

The DPP caucus was referring to the commutation bill proposed by the Cabinet which originally called for the amnesty of inmates sentenced to less than one year in prison.

An additional 2,800 inmates qualified for the commutation after the KMT's version of the bill, which included inmates sentenced to up to 18 months, passed the legislature.

DPP Legislator Wang Shih-cheng (王世堅) yesterday accused the KMT of tailoring the bill to benefit KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), who was sentenced to 14 months in prison for violent conduct during a protest in 2004.

KMT Legislator Alex Fai (費鴻泰), however, slammed the DPP administration for the professor's death.

"Instead of being properly prepared [for the amnesty], [Chen] released many prisoners at one time and for far-fetched reasons," he said, referring to Chen's idea to make the commutation coincide with the 20th anniversary of the lifting of the martial law era. "Even the police are deeply worried [about the possible consequences]."

KMT Legislator Justin Chou (周守訓) urged the government to apologize to the public for the "wrong policy that contributed to the death of the professor."

In a separate setting yesterday, Chen urged the public to refrain from thwarting the will of most ex-convicts who want to make up for their wrongs, saying that Hsieh's death was an isolated case.

Chen, however, added that attention must be paid to cases that happened after the July 16 amnesty and said an assessment must be conducted.

A former political prisoner during the KMT regime, Chen encouraged ex-convicts to put their past behind them and look to the future.
A total of 9,597 inmates were released on July 16 -- the first day the commutation took effect. Among those benefiting from the statute were prisoners convicted on charges of minor crimes such as illegal drug possession, burglary, theft and fraud.

As a college classmate and a former colleague of Hsieh when he taught at NTU, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday expressed his condolences to Hsieh's family and urged the government to reconsider the policy. Hau also lashed out at the government's commutation program, saying that it has added a large burden to the workload of local law enforcement.

KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday also said in a statement that the government should reconsider the policy.
"I think the government should now focus on the rehabilitation efforts. Otherwise it will turn a good policy into a bad one," he said.

When crap like that happens, societys grow groups of vigulanties. That's just nuts to let out a bunch of crooks like that.

You're right about the vigilanties, but I doubt it'll happen here. As I said, people were watching the beating happen; nobody bothered to stop it. It upsets me to think of that.

Releasing them like this is just insane. Apparently it's commemorate the end of martial law and a way to combat the over-crowded prison system. I'd personally have just thrown a party and built another prison, but whatever.

So 26 have been re-arrested on drug charges or assault (the last arrest being for murder), 6 have died from overdoses, and one professor has been murdered as a result.

Yoyo was saying yesterday that all that professor's classes were cancelled indefinitely, because he's the only person in Taiwan who's qualified enouh to teach it. Apparently he specialises in some rare type of microbiology. It's just so very sad.

Excuse me? You actually been living under martial law?!?! WTF????


I seen that in the movies, but never seen it in real life. Who the hell inacts martial law? Did I read you wrong?

Oh, sorry, should've said "20 years since the end of..." before that

The wife tells me stories of times when it was even illegal to dance in Taiwan.

I think it would be cool. Leave the house with my staff, kick the **** out of everyone I meet. Help chicks and stuff.

Awesome.

Live underground, exist only in the shadows?

The man with no name, coming in and saving the day, and disappearing without a trace.

Flinging ninja stars at the police as you jump from lamp posts, and swing down to grab the hotties that the police were moving in on?

Sweet, man.

Yeah, I'd just walk outside, kick some ass, go back inside drink some beer, no cops, no nothing, just martial law. I'd look out for the gangs of Troops in the convoys driving around looking to make my life rough,

but this martial law stuff sounds sweet.

It probably sounds cooler than it is. I mean, if the present-day police officers in Taiwan are anything to go by, then the martial law was pretty tame.