Annette Lu's Unvoiced "Fifth Possibility"

Annette Lu's Unvoiced "Fifth Possibility"

United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
March 11, 2009

A Summary

March 19, 2009 will be the fifth anniversary of the 3/19 Shooting Incident. Annette Lu has published a book about it entitled, "Perspectives on 3/19: One Truth, One Taiwan." Annette Lu's suspicions are shared by most of the public. Five years ago at the scene of crime, Annette Lu was shot in the knee. Had that bullet struck her elsewhere, she could have died. Perhaps it was intended to "prove" that Chen Shui-bian was also shot at the scene of crime. Annette Lu coming forward may not crack the case. But she has reminded everyone that the 3/19 Shooting Incident remains an unsolved mystery.

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Please See Full Text of the Editorial below

March 19, 2009 will be the fifth anniversary of the 3/19 Shooting Incident. Annette Lu has published a book about it entitled, "Perspectives on 3/19: One Truth, One Taiwan."

When the incident occurred, a deeply skeptical public cried, "No Truth, No President!" Annette Lu, in an interview with the United Daily News said, "No Truth, No Taiwan," or at least "No Democratic, United Taiwan."

Some believe that without those two bullets the Chen/Lu ticket would never have won more than 30,000 votes during the 2004 presidential election. Annette Lu says she is a victim of the 3/19 Shooting Incident. But the 3/19 Shooting Incident also gave her a second term. If the truth behind the 3/19 Shooting Incident is not uncovered, a pall will forever be cast over her political legacy. She seems to be saying she cannot tolerate the implication that her second term was the result of a staged shooting incident, and is determined to uncover the truth.

Annette Lu's suspicions are shared by most people. Most people are disgusted by the incompetence and chaos that prevailed during Chen Shui-bian's second term. More to the point, they suspect Chen Shui-bian staged the 3/19 Shooting Incident to remain in office four more years. Whatever the truth about the 3/19 Shooting Incident, Chen Shui-bian received a second term due to sheer luck. This undermines his mandate. His dubious mandate was a chief contributor to the chaos that prevailed during his second term.

Annette Lu suggested "four possible perpetrators" of the shooting incident, whom she labeled red, blue, green, and black. She then ruled out all four. According to Lu, it could not have been Beijing, i.e., red. It could not have been the Pan Blues, i.e., blue. It could not have been the Pan Greens, i.e., green. It could not have been criminal triads, i.e., black. She also challenged the conclusion that Chen Yi-hsiung was a "lone gunman." She thinks that at the very least accomplices must have been involved. She does not think Chen Yi-hsiung committed suicide. Nor does she think that an amateur like Chen Yi-hsiung could have used "one pistol to fire two shots in 0.63 seconds" The recoil of the pistol would have made a second shot extremely difficult. Even if a second shot was fired, she said the bullets "absolutely" could not have struck Chen Shui-bian in the abdomen. Annette Lu's greatest suspicion is "Why was the first shot fired at me?" This shot was the only one known to have been fired at the scene.

Annette Lu has ruled out four possibilities, including red, blue, green, and black. But she failed to mention a fifth possibility, one that is logically unavoidable, namely, that Chen Shui-bian staged the entire incident. The government has yet to give the public a convincing explanation of the 3/19 Shooting Incident. Until it does, the possibility that Chen Shui-bian staged the entire incident is all too real. If anything, it remains the most plausible explanation.

Annette Lu clearly harbors this suspicion. After she was shot, Annette Lu said she "took a bullet for the people of Taiwan." Chen Shui-bian is adept at political manipulation. Logically he should have portrayed himself as a national hero who took a bullet for the people of Taiwan. Instead he avoided drawing any conclusions about the incident until nearly four years later, when he referred to the incident as an "assassination attempt" for the first time. Immediately following the incident, Annette Lu was shaken. Compare her reaction to Chen's surprisingly relaxed demeanor. Annette Lu was eager to get at the truth. Chen Shui-bian, on the other hand, did everything in his power to obstruct the investigation. Annette Lu said, "Ah-Bian was not as determined as I was to get to the bottom of the case."

The 3/19 Shooting Incident remains a mystery. Chen Yi-hsiung's story was absolutely unacceptable to most people. Even Annette Lu finds this unacceptable. The public have watched the Special Investigation Unit of the Persecutor General’s Office find the Chen family guilty of corruption. It has watched the Chen family proclaim its innocence. Had the 3/19 Ad Hoc Group used the same standards as the Special Investigation Unit to investigate the Chen family, or had Cheng Yi-hsiung raised from the dead and given Chen Shui-bian's financial resources and the expertise of his legal team, the 3/19 Ad Hoc Group would not, dare not claim Chen Yi-hsiung was the assassin. Chen Yi-hsiung was simply framed by the 3/19 Ad Hoc Group.

Chen Shui-bian is by nature a con man. Years ago, when Wu Shu-chen was the victim of a car accident, Ah-Bian spun it as "political assassination," turning it into the Chen family's lifelong "political asset." That too was a hoax. After Chen Shui-bian was detained, he staged two hunger strikes. He said "he no longer wished to live, and was determined to exit with honor." That too was a cheap play for sympathy. Was the 3/19 Shooting Incident yet another hoax staged by Chen himself? Was it yet another self-inflicted wound to deceive the voters and win a second term? Was it the hoax of the century? To many it unquestionably was. Chen Shui-bian's underhanded nature has become too clear. Chen Shui-bian's transparent deceptions have been perpetrated too many times. The public cannot help being deeply skeptical about the 3/19 Shooting Incident.

Annette Lu's suspicions are shared by most of the public. Five years ago at the scene of crime, Annette Lu was shot in the knee. Had that bullet struck her elsewhere, she could have died. Perhaps it was intended to "prove" that Chen Shui-bian was also shot at the scene of crime. Annette Lu coming forward may not crack the case. But she has reminded everyone that the 3/19 Shooting Incident remains an unsolved mystery.

Annette Lu failed to mention the fifth possibility. Isn’t the possibility that most people consider it the most likely one?

(Courtesy of United Daily News)

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