The nine victims were rushed to the hospital, but, except for county assemblyman Teng Wen-chang (who is still in a coma and given a 60% chance of recovery), the others all died. The dead include Commissioner Liu; county assemblyman Chuang Shun- hsing; Hsu Chun-kuo, confidential secretary to the county government; Liu Pang-ming, driver for the commissioner; Chang Tao-mei, employed in the county health department and wife of the chief of the county Bureau of Agriculture; Liu Ju-mei, a maid at the residence; and guards Liu Pang-liang and Liu Ming-chi.
Based on the condition of the scene and the statements of key witnesses, police have reached the preliminary conclusion that the two killers had already entered the residence early in the morning. They subdued the two guards, about to change shifts, with knives. Then they took the officers' guns and bullets. They next rounded up the seven people they found in the residence and forced them all into the guards' room. They placed tape over their eyes and mouths, and ordered them to kneel. They then shot each of them in the head. The culprits drove off in Chuang Shun-hsing's car.
At that time, Teng's secretary, Ms. Liang Mei-chiao, was still in the car. The criminals took her along, but she was miraculously left unhurt. After driving the car to the base of Hutou Mountain, they kicked her out of the car, warned her not to report the case, abandoned the car, and left with accomplices who met them there.
Because of the speed, ruthlessness, and obvious experience of the criminals, as well as their familiarity with the area around the official residence, police see this as a premeditated plot, and do not exclude the possibility that these were professional killers. Currently police are providing tight security to two witnesses, Ms. Liang Mei-chiao, and a foreign maid in the residence known only as Judy, as well as Commissioner Liu's wife Peng Yu-ying.
Liu's daughter, who rushed off to her job as a teacher at about 7:50, says that she heard arguing. Liang Mei-chiao reports that in the car she heard the two culprits cursing Liu as being "too arrogant." Also, considering that the murderers showed a very definite purpose-shooting one of the guards twice, and the others only once in the head-police believe this was probably a revenge killing. It is noteworthy that the killers were very familiar with Liu's family situation and the situation in the official residence. Add to this that in his eight years as county commissioner Liu has been involved in more than 100 legal cases involving land speculation and infighting among local factions, and the police thus feel that the most likely motive for the killing was a conflict among local interests.
According to the police investigation, there have been a great number of cases decided by the county government related to land problems, major construction projects, and eradication of illegal construction that have involved sums in the hundreds of millions or even billions of NT dollars (see chart). At the time of the murders, the county government was just moving to eradicate illegal construction along Huanchung East Road in Chungli. The road mainly follows farmland, but recently many unlicensed "entertainment" industries have sprung up there, with many powerful local interests involved.
This is not the only case. Taoyuan, right next to Taipei, has grown rapidly in recent years, giving rise to continuous construction and development plans. A single decision by Commissioner Liu could determine the fate of hundred of millions of NT dollars. Liu also recently told intimates that someone had it in for him. The police are rigorously investigating all relevant local factions, which makes the case much more complex and difficult to solve.
Liu Pang-you began his political career as a Water Conservancy Association representative. He went on to serve as a county assemblyman, provincial assemblyman, and for two terms as county commissioner. He has was regarded as a man who draws a clear line between friends and enemies, and who was very direct, thus offending many people, from the underworld or otherwise. In terms of accomplishments, during his term as county commissioner, Liu completely reconstructed military dependents' villages and took a firm hand in solving the garbage problem. Perhaps his most widely known feat was getting the Taoyuan "Big Egg" stadium prepared for the celebrations for the recent inauguration of President Lee Teng-hui.
On the other hand, however, Liu has also been tied up by a number of court cases. These include falsification of academic credentials, speculation on land, and even ordering murder. Such controversy has been constant.
After the case, people throughout government and society condemned the violence. The business community is especially concerned, fearing that this may affect the overall investment climate. President Lee, Vice-President and Premier Lien Chan, and Provincial Governor James Soong all ordered that the case be quickly solved. The Legislative Yuan quickly passed all three readings of the "Organized Crime Prevention Law" to express their support for the government's anti-crime efforts. Minister of Justice Liao Cheng-hao and National Police Administration chief Yao Kao-chiao are most in the forefront, and have instructed that all efforts be made to arrest the killers.
This case, very rare for Taiwan, not only led to eight deaths in a matter of minutes. It also raised fears in society about the rampancy of organized crime. Indeed, some in the business community even expressed doubt about the government's ability to suppress the underworld, and even asked that gun ownership be legalized. Liao Cheng- hao, who is dedicated to eradicating organized crime, stated that legalizing gun ownership would only make crime worse, and that Taiwan would absolutely not legalize guns.
But, Liao added, executive agencies would have to work harder to confiscate weapons. He also promised to thoroughly implement the anti-crime program, in hopes of rebuilding people's confidence in the government. Whether or not the Liu Pang-you case is solved will directly influence people's faith in the ability of the government to uphold the law.
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