Aftershocks from the Pai Hsiao-yen Case

With the suicides of Lin Chun-sheng and Kao Tien-ming and the surrender of Chen Chin-hsing, the half-year-old Pai Hsiao-yen case is entering its final, legal stage. But this last half year has kept the police and media very busy and the public in a state of fear. The cost to society of this case has been incalculable. Now in its last act, the case has even made it to the international stage, and the already difficult task of managing Taiwan's foreign relations has been made that much harder. With the Pai Hsiao-yen case exiting the stage, the issue of how to cure these new and old ills is very much worth everyone's reflection.

Pai Hsiao-yen, the only child of famed local TV personality Pai Ping-ping, was kidnapped on her way to school on April 14. On November 19, after seven months and five days, the last of the fugitives involved in her kidnapping was forced to surrender to authorities.

While they were on the run, her three kidnappers, Lin Chun-sheng, Kao Tien-ming and Chen Chin-hsing, not only eluded capture, but went on a crime spree. On August 8, a Peitou man surnamed Chen was kidnapped by them. He was released after his family paid an NT$4 million ransom. On October 23, a Dr. Fang, his wife and a nurse were shot to death in the doctor's Taipei plastic surgery clinic. Evidence indicates that it was Kao and Chen who murdered them after undergoing plastic surgery. And while on the run in Taipei City and County, Chen committed a number of rapes, even telling his victims, "I'm Chen Chin-hsing."

Lin killed himself on August 19 and Kao killed himself on Nov. 17, both while surrounded by police, leaving Chen as the only fugitive.

Chen then unexpectedly took Col. Macgill Alexander, the South African military attach*, and his family hostage and opened negotiations with police. Although Chen eventually surrendered and the hostages were freed, the event attracted the attention of the international media and damaged Taiwan's international prestige. Moreover, the case leaves us with several issues worth discussing, among them public safety, police dragnet operations, local people's ghoulish curiosity and the question of whether we have actually learned anything from the Pai case.

The several times the police faced the fugitives in gun fights or had them surrounded revealed the inadequacy of both police equipment and training; not only did the police lack sufficient bullet-proof clothing and helmets, but even the crack SWAT units were in complete disarray at the sites of the confrontations. So it was that on August 19, even though Lin Chun-sheng took his own life, a police officer, Tsao Li-min, was also killed.

In an effort to help the police fight crime, the Ministry of the Interior has recently passed revisions to regulations on the use of firearms by police, eliminating a provision which required police to first fire a warning shot into the air before firing at criminals.

Another focus of discussion is the impact on moral of the complexity of police work and the difficulty of getting a promotion. Consideration of these issues prompted the Cabinet to provide more Central Government funding to criminal investigators. It also hopes to increase their numbers by 14,000. In addition, to address the problem of the proliferation of guns on the island, Premier Vincent Siew has ordered the police to establish a maritime police force which will combat smuggling.

Throughout the development of this case, a frequent subject of discussion has been the role of the media. Did the presence of the media on the scene looking for a scoop interfere with police movements? Another issue was the frequent revelation by the media of covert police actions, making the media, in effect, the eyes of the fugitives.

A further topic of debate is the media's seeming loss of its "fourth estate" objectivity. The Pai kidnappers were allowed to speak through the media. Chen Chin-hsing used the media to voice his resentment and anger towards society. The media also allowed him to rationalize his behavior on some level. Although at the end, having such a platform made him more receptive to negotiation, Chu Hai-yuan, Director of the Academia Sinica's Sociological Research Planning Bureau, says that when reporters do not have the requisite skills, it is very likely that they will ask questions that they should not, arousing suspects and endangering the hostages' safety. Now is the time for the media to reflect on its role.

For the last several months, the face-offs between police and the fugitives have been broadcast continuously on TV, "just like a movie." And the live broadcasts of Chen Chin-hsing's conversations with the media created sympathy for him amongst the public. Psychologists say that this will provide a model for those with a criminal bent, certainly a worrisome thought.

The capture of Chen should not bring an end to the questions and debates generated by the case. It should instead begin serious reflection on how to improve the situation.

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After holding hostages for nearly 24 hours, Chen Chin-hsing finally surrendered after being persuaded by Taipei City police director Hou You-yi (left), attorney Frank Hsieh (above), and Chen's wife Chang Su-chen. The surrender ended Chen's seven months on the lam. (courtesy of Yao Chih-ping)