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President vows to seek truth at funeral of serviceman (update)

ROC Central News Agency

2013/08/04 13:50:43

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou vowed to discover the truth in the death of Army Corporal Hung Chung-chiu, he said at the soldier's funeral in Taichung City Sunday.

Ma told the parents of Hung, who died on July 4 from alleged abuse while being confined in an Army holding cell, that 18 officers have been indicted in the case, which will be heard in public during a court martial, saying the truth will be revealed during the trial.

The president added that the Executive Yuan has proposed an amendment to the Military Justice Act to assure that military personnel charged with certain crimes are tried by civil courts, rather than courts-martial, to ensure impartial trials.

Ma also reiterated a promise made by Premier Jiang Yi-huah the previous day that his administration will set up a special commission to review possible miscarriages of justice occurring at past courts-martial.

Hung's father, Hung Chi-tuan, told the president that the family was angry about the military prosecutors' indictment, which said Hung's military colleagues and superiors sent him to a holding cell in part because he altered his physical fitness test results and did not carry out his duties, saying he was going to retire soon.

Another point which angered Hung's family is that the Military High Court released on bail four leading defendants in the case immediately after they were referred to the court for trial, ruling that what the defendants were charged with were not serious crimes, according to Hung.

The elder Hung also complained that prosecutors refused to clarify on his son's death certificate whether the serviceman was 'killed' or 'died from other's actions.'

The president sought to reassure the family, saying that military prosecutors are appealing the Military High Court's decision to release the four defendants. He also urged the family to help the court discover the truth during the trial.

Ma arrived at the funeral at 9 a.m. in the company of Defense Minister Andrew Yang and Yang's predecessor, Kao Hua-chun, who stepped down over the case. They took nearly twenty minutes to walk through the crowd of Hung's supporters and protestors, who yelled at the President that they demanded the truth about Hung's death.

At the funeral, the president paid homage to the dead serviceman before conveying his condolences to Hung Chun-chiu's parents.

Nearly 250,000 people rallied in Taipei Saturday evening, demanding truth in the case and calling for a thorough review of similar military deaths.

(By Maubo Chang)
ENDITEM/ROBERT