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Reporter says he was
beaten up as result of election
PRESS FREEDOM: Chiang Wen-hsin said he had no
idea who was responsible for the beating, which left him with two broken legs
and several broken ribs
By Huang Chia-lin / Staff Reporter
Taiwan Times reporter Chiang
Wen-hsin was beaten by four men wielding baseball bats early Wednesday morning.
Both Chiang¡¦s legs were broken and he suffered multiple broken ribs and fingers.
Photo: Taipei Times
A reporter was beaten by masked men early
on Wednesday morning in an incident he claimed could be related to the
legislative election on Saturday.
Greater -Kaohsiung-based reporter Chiang Wen-hsin (¦¿¤åØ`), 56, who works for the
-Chinese--language Taiwan Times, was beaten by four men wielding baseball bats
who pushed their way into his residence when he returned home early on Wednesday
morning.
As a result of the attack, both Chiang¡¦s legs were broken and he suffered
multiple broken ribs and fingers.
Although his injuries were not life-threatening, the damage to his hands means
that Chiang will be unable to write any news articles until her recovers.
¡§I do not have disputes with anybody,¡¨ Chiang said.
He later added that the legislative elections in Greater Kao-hsiung had at times
been quite tense.
At one point he received a call from a supporter of a certain political faction
accusing him of writing articles that were biased.
According to the police, Chiang returned to his home in Ciweishan (ºX§À¤s) after
meeting with friends at a McDonalds in Greater Kaohsiung¡¦s Cishan District (ºX¤s)
and was attacked outside his residence.
The attack lasted for about 10 minutes and he was only able to shout for help
after regaining consciousness, Chiang said.
The police¡¦s New Year Security Taskforce, an annual group formed during the
Lunar New Year period to patrol local areas and step up security, stated work on
Tuesday.
Police stopping motorists on Ciwei Bridge and conducting sobriety tests said
that a white car refused to stop, but managed to escape, after being chased by
police. The police have listed the passengers of the vehicle as prime suspects
in the beating.
A special team has been established to investigate the case.
The police declined to comment on whether the attack on Chiang was motivated by
an election--related dispute or something else, saying only that the
investigation was ongoing.
In response, the Taiwan Times issued a statement saying that it strongly
condemned violence and expected the police to arrest the perpetrators as soon as
possible.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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