California church killer David Chou has shut ties to a Taiwan ‘peaceable reunification’ group linked to the ruling Chinese language Communist Social gathering’s United Entrance Work Division, a physique that has been designated a consultant of a international authorities by the U.S. authorities, based on a report on its founding ceremony.
Chou, who opened fireplace on a Taiwanese lunch banquet on the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Irvine, CA on Could 15, killing one individual and injuring 5 others earlier than being restrained, was pictured on the organising of the Las Vegas Affiliation for China’s Peaceable Unification on April 2, 2019, holding up a banner calling for the “eradication of pro-independence demons,” based on an April 3, 2019 report on the Chinese language LVNews web site.
The group — whose president Gu Yawen warned the individuals of Taiwan that ‘peaceable unification is the one option to keep away from battle’ in his inaugural speech — is a neighborhood department of the Nationwide Affiliation for China’s Peaceable Unification (NACPU) underneath the Chinese language Communist Social gathering (CCP)’s United Entrance Work Division.
“The United Entrance Work Division (UFWD) is the Chinese language Communist Social gathering (CCP) organ tasked with co-opting and neutralizing threats to the occasion’s rule and spreading its affect and propaganda abroad,” the State Division mentioned in a press release in 2020. “The CCP regards this occasion equipment as a ‘magic weapon’ to advance Beijing’s insurance policies.”
In the identical assertion, the State Division designated NACPU a international mission of China.
“The UFWD … makes use of entrance organizations just like the NACPU to advance [Beijing]’s propaganda and malign affect,” then Secretary of State Mike Pence mentioned.
Taiwan has by no means been dominated by the CCP, nor fashioned a part of the Individuals’s Republic of China, however its nationals are considered Chinese language residents underneath one other administration by Beijing.
Nearly all of Taiwan’s 23 million individuals say they don’t have any want to quit their nation’s sovereignty or lose their democratic lifestyle underneath Chinese language rule, however CCP chief Xi Jinping has mentioned “unification” is inevitable, and has refused to rule out using navy drive to annex the democratic island.
‘Politically motivated hate’
Orange County police mentioned Chou’s actions had been fueled by “politically motivated hate.”
Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes mentioned Chou — who studies mentioned was born in Taiwan to folks from China — had left a word in his automotive displaying he did not agree that “Taiwan is a rustic unbiased of China,” and had expressed dissatisfaction with political tensions throughout the Taiwan Strait.
Chou, 68, of Las Vegas, has been arrested on suspicion of homicide and tried homicide after he entered Geneva Presbyterian Church and fired a number of rounds, putting six victims, Orange County police mentioned.
“On the time of the taking pictures, members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, which has had an area on the church since 2009, had been having a lunch banquet to welcome a pastor who had not too long ago returned from Taiwan,” it mentioned.
5 victims sustained gunshot wounds and had been taken to native hospitals for remedy, whereas the deceased was recognized as Dr. John Cheng, 52, pronounced useless on the scene after sustaining a number of gunshot wounds when he intervened and tackled the suspect, enabling others to hurry in and hogtie Chou to stop additional carnage.
“There isn’t any doubt that Dr. Cheng’s actions that day saved the lives of many different church members. He’s a hero and shall be remembered by this neighborhood as such,” Barnes advised journalists, including that Chou appeared to have superglued the church doorways shut and had deposited spare ammunition and Molotov cocktails across the constructing forward of time.
The 5 injured victims, 4 males and a lady aged 66-92, had been taken to a neighborhood hospital, the place they’re being handled, police mentioned.
The banquet had been in honor of pastor Chang Hsuan-hsin, who had returned to the church after a two-year absence, native pastor Hwang Chun-sheng advised RFA.
“Our pastor and elder hadn’t been again to California for greater than two years, so many of the older members of the church wished to go to church for that day’s service,” Hwang mentioned. “[Dr. Cheng] determined he would carry his mom to church [for the occasion].
‘Violence is rarely the reply’
Chien Ta, a former member of a NACPU department within the U.S., mentioned extra violence might happen over the standing of Taiwan, which is a sovereign nation formally dominated by the 1911 Republic of China based by Solar Yat-sen whose authorities fled to the island after dropping a civil battle to Mao Zedong’s communists in China.
“If we do not take care of this sort of nationalistic hatred, we will certainly see extra intense conflicts on the difficulty of unification or independence in future,” Chien warned.
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, who has insisted that any dialogue have to be on a government-to-government foundation, expressed her condolences to Cheng’s household by way of social media.
“I wish to convey my honest condolences on the loss of life of Dr. John Cheng & my hopes for a immediate restoration for these injured within the taking pictures on the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in California,” Tsai tweeted. “Violence is rarely the reply.”
Taiwanese lawmaker for the ruling Democratic Progressive Social gathering (DPP) Lin Ching-yee mentioned by way of Fb that the taking pictures was pushed by a “genocidal” ideology, calling for larger consciousness of the potential of politically motivated killings of Taiwanese abroad, along with the specter of Chinese language invasion.
Presidential Workplace spokesman Xavier Chang mentioned Tsai had requested Taiwan’s high consultant to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim to go to California quickly and help the victims’ households.
Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
