JRF Newsletter
Planting Seeds and Opening Imaginations: Commemorating Prosecutor Lai Ching-hsiang
Last edited: 2026-08-30
Foreword—Kao Jung-chih, Executive Director, Judicial Reform Foundation
The grand cause of reform is always fascinating, drawing passionate individuals together to converse, deliberate, and take action. Years later, these stories continue to be celebrated, stirring the hearts of passionate newcomers. Prosecutor Lai Ching-hsiang was undeniably a pioneer of judicial reform, and his life's achievements were extraordinary. By reading these collected articles, one can undoubtedly feel his warmth and depth, outlining his demeanor and figure as he lived through a momentous era.
At the camps hosted by the Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF), his enthusiastic presence was a constant fixture, sparking incoming law students' aspirations for the judiciary and planting the seeds of infinite possibilities for the future. I was fortunate enough to have once sat in the audience. My memory of him feels as fresh as yesterday, yet that feeling which stirred within the hearts of young people was like a seed, deeply planted without one even realizing it, quietly sprouting as time passed.
Back then, I never imagined that more than a decade later I would become the Executive Director and establish a dedicated webpage within the JRF to commemorate him. Having this memorial space is entirely due to Prosecutor Lai's character and conduct, which inspired his friends and family to cherish his memory and eagerly pitch in, allowing these articles to be compiled very quickly. Following Taiwan's lifting of martial law and political opening in the 1990s, judicial reform was a roaring movement. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why it is so worthwhile to commemorate and record Prosecutor Lai's life from a human perspective.
Another reason that lingers in my mind is what Professor Wang Chin-shou, who tirelessly brought this project to fruition, has continuously reminded us of. The passionate minds of the 1990s judicial reform—whether judges, prosecutors, lawyers, or scholars—were among the most erudite, visionary, idealistic, and passionate group of people at the time. Unfortunately, due to differing habitual mindsets, they were ultimately unable to closely collaborate; otherwise, the achievements of judicial reform would have gone far beyond what was accomplished.
Following the 2016 general election, the reformist atmosphere in Taiwanese society resurged. This memorial space is even more meaningful because he was always enthusiastic, willing to set an example, take the first step to show initiative, and yield a step to demonstrate goodwill. Beyond commemoration, we also fervently hope that in the upcoming era of reform, the JRF can become an even more open and passionate space and platform—a place where all those dedicated to judicial reform can join hands and cooperate.
In today's fickle world where everyone looks out for themselves, who else would disregard personal gains and losses to help others and sacrifice themselves? Why did you have to be so old-fashioned and warm-hearted? If you hadn't stepped up, wouldn't all this humiliation and hurt have been avoided?…Read Article
Distorted Judicial Statistics Devastate Prosecutors' Lives
Looking back, the evaluation system dating back to the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty has inexplicably been carried over unchanged into Taiwan's modern prosecutorial system, which can be described as an international joke in the modern legal world. Today, Lai Ching-hsiang used his life to resist the administrative authorities' evaluation system. If this can awaken the conscience of administrative officials, then Lai Ching-hsiang's passing can also be considered to carry profound epochal significance…Read Article
The Endangered Investigative Prosecutor
My longtime comrade in judicial reform, Prosecutor Lai Ching-hsiang, passed away recently from lung adenocarcinoma, and his public memorial service is today. His most celebrated work was the Hualien legislative election vote-rigging case that brought Huang Hsin-chiase back from defeat, as well as the crackdown on black gold in the Pingtung area…Read Article
Remembering Prosecutor Lai with Accompanying Love
…How formidable is a person of benevolence who dedicates their entire life to the public and the country. Perhaps in terms of worldly fame, wealth, and status, Prosecutor Lai was unfulfilled in this lifetime, but he never grew discouraged. Instead, with selfless love and kindness, he walked through this life without fear or worry, leaving everyone he touched with a shared sense of warmth and love, and a boundless, endless legacy of remembrance and impact…Read Article
A "Trustworthy" Good Friend—Lai Ching-hsiang
Prosecutor Lai was always dressed in casual clothes and a pair of sneakers; I never saw him in a sharp suit. He felt like an approachable older neighborhood brother, yet he was also an erudite scholar. For offender rehabilitation work to be valued to such an extent by a prosecutor must be unprecedented…Read Article
Prosecutor Lai, Prosecutor Lai…
Beyond his approachable charisma which commanded admiration, what was even more important was his dedication and earnestness toward judicial work. In particular, his insistence on frontline investigative work, paying no mind to performance evaluations or promotions, was all the more admirable…Read Article
Tender Memories of Prosecutor Lai Ching-hsiang
His life was upright. From uncovering the Kuomintang's vote-rigging scheme during Huang Hsin-chieh's election campaign in Hualien, to joining forces with prosecutors from the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office to collaboratively investigate and sever Pingtung's severe black gold politics, his actions were unprecedented and unrepeated. He was even able to step beyond institutional silos to participate in judicial reform. Although he was not particularly favored by his superiors, I believe history has long since secured his rightful place…Read Article
An Idealistic Practitioner Ahead of His Time: Remembering Prosecutor Lai Ching-hsiang
…Lai Ching-hsiang played the most crucial and leadership role in the collaborative investigation by the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office. His selflessness and proactivity, coupled with his radiating charisma, naturally made him the leader of this group. He never claimed any credit, nor did he ever seek the spotlight…Read Article
This article is an AI-generated translation of the original Chinese text. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.
