Crime Scene Reconstruction is Mother Ts'ai's Right

This Mother's Day, a mother launched an indefinite hunger strike in front of the Ministry of National Defense. She is the mother of Air Force Sergeant Ts'ai Hsüeh-liang. Ts'ai Hsüeh-liang died at a shooting range on May 9, 2008. The military quickly concluded it was a suicide, but numerous suspicious points made Mother Ts'ai unable to accept this. For years, she has traveled everywhere, hoping to conduct live-ammunition mock shootings to reconstruct the crime scene.

Death during shooting training could be suicide, homicide, or an accident. For the military, suicide is the most advantageous and least troublesome option; for any option other than suicide, the military would have to review its negligence and hold people accountable. Even if Ts'ai Hsüeh-liang committed suicide, why would he choose to do so in plain sight during unit shooting training? What did he do and say before committing suicide? Was he trying to prove his innocence with death, or was he protesting unit malpractice? These are all matters that should be thoroughly investigated. Let alone if it were an accident or homicide, both of which must be thoroughly investigated!

Restoring the Truth and Answering Questions

These questions might be answered through "crime scene reconstruction." This is a relatively mature forensic method frequently used both domestically and internationally. Taiwan's most well-known case is when Dr. Henry Lee was commissioned by the court to conduct a crime scene reconstruction, which concluded that the Su Chien-ho case was most likely committed by a single person, proving the innocence of the three defendants.

It has only been six years since the Ts'ai Hsüeh-liang case, and the roster of officers and soldiers in the unit is still available; finding everyone present that day is not difficult. It is understood that the shooting range remains as it was, and by utilizing on-site evidence collection photos, videotapes, and forensic autopsy reports, the original appearance of the incident scene can be reconstructed to some extent. Furthermore, by inviting experienced and credible forensic experts, it is believed that the truth can be restored to a considerable degree, answering the questions in Mother Ts'ai's heart.

Mother Ts'ai desperately wants to conduct a scene reconstruction herself, but under the current legal system, unless commissioned by official authorities, it lacks evidentiary competence. Mother Ts'ai has worked hard for many years, only to find no competent authority willing to conduct scene reconstruction and appraisal. Last year, the Hung Chung-chiu case sparked a roar of 250,000 citizens in white shirts on Ketagalan Boulevard. To respond to public grievances, Premier Chiang Yi-huah announced the establishment of the Military Wrongful Death Appeals Committee to accept cases of past suspicious deaths in the military and reopen investigations. Mother Ts'ai rekindled a glimmer of hope, expecting the committee formed by the Executive Yuan to possess abundant administrative resources to conduct a substantive investigation. To this day, the committee has achieved nothing, and its convener, Lo Ying-shay, has long since been promoted to Minister of Justice. This irresponsible and insincere attitude forced Mother Ts'ai to resort to a hunger strike as a form of protest.

The Right to Investigate Cause of Death

The families of the deceased have the right to request an investigation into the cause of death, and Mother Ts'ai is humbly demanding her right as a mother. The people's distrust of the government stems from the government's inaction. We call on Premier Chiang Yi-huah to respond to Mother Ts'ai as soon as possible, win back the people's trust through action, and avoid letting the situation deteriorate any further.