Air Force Sergeant Tsai Hsueh-liang Shot Dead: Control Yuan Urges Prosecutors to Exhaust Scientific Investigations

(Central News Agency reporter Kao Hua-chien, Taipei, 23rd) Air Force Sergeant Tsai Hsueh-liang died of a gunshot wound at a shooting range in 2008. Control Yuan member Tsai Chung-yi stated today that the forensic conclusion by Professor Li Chun-i of the NTU Institute of Forensic Medicine "excludes the possibility that the gunshot wound was caused by the domestically produced T65K2 rifle and bullets." Prosecutors are advised to exhaust all scientific verifications, and the Ministry of National Defense is requested to fully assist prosecutors in finding the truth.

On May 9, 2008, Tsai Hsueh-liang was shot dead during training at a shooting range. The military stated at the time that he was accidentally hit by a stray bullet, but subsequent investigations by military prosecutors and the Taitung District Prosecutors Office concluded it was a suicide by gunshot, causing the family to petition everywhere.

Control Yuan member Tsai Chung-yi stated via a press release today that the Executive Yuan had instructed the Ministry of National Defense in 2019 to commission Professor Li Chun-i of the NTU Institute of Forensic Medicine to conduct live-fire tests and appraisals. The conclusion was that "the gunshot wound suffered by Tsai Hsueh-liang can exclude the possibility of being caused by the domestically produced T65K2 rifle and bullets."

Tsai Chung-yi said that Tsai Hsueh-liang's mother, Yu Jui-min, once sued four people present at the time of the incident, but the Taitung District Prosecutors Office did not indict them in 2015 on the grounds of insufficient active evidence of conspiracy to commit murder, and the decision was finalized after the Hualien Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office rejected the family's appeal.

Tsai Chung-yi pointed out that according to the regulatory intent of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the effect of the non-prosecution disposition only extends to the specific individuals investigated, and it cannot be inferred that no other involved personnel exist in this case, nor can it exclude the possibility of homicide. To completely dispel the long-standing doubts of the family and society, the prosecution should break out of the existing investigation framework, exhaust scientific verifications, introduce reputable or impartial forensic institutions, and use the same or similar T65 rifles as the scene of the incident for rigorous live-fire testing to clarify the truth with objective scientific methods.

Tsai Chung-yi's investigation found that it has been nearly 18 years since the incident, and the family still has many doubts about the conclusion of "Tsai Hsueh-liang committing suicide with a T65 rifle." These range from whether the fatal weapon was a T65 rifle or a .45 pistol, leading to multiple discrepancies such as the size of the bullet exit wound, the unfound bullet head at the scene, and the suspected suicide note used as supporting evidence, which was not found at the scene, had unknown ink origin, a weak foundation for authentication, and a very different writing style.

To learn the bitter lesson of the massive judicial and social costs paid because the body was hastily cremated without an autopsy in this case, Tsai Chung-yi requested the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Justice to consider ordering subordinates that in future cases of unnatural deaths in the military, a defense mechanism of "autopsy in principle, temporary non-cremation" should be upheld, and full communication with the family must be made before the autopsy to properly preserve the body and ensure the complete retention of evidence.

Tsai Chung-yi also stated that the cadre of the unit involved in this case failed to strictly enforce shooting range safety regulations. The Ministry of National Defense should review and improve, and strictly supervise units at all levels to implement shooting range safety control mechanisms. In addition, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of National Defense should actively consider introducing a "restorative justice" mechanism in a timely manner in cases of active-duty military casualties and establish standardized operating procedures to help families step out of their grief. (Editor: Lin Hsing-meng) 1150423

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