Chang Chun-hung

Chang Chun-hung ( Chinese  張俊宏 , Pinyin Zhāng Jùnhóng , born May 17, 1938 in Nantou , Taiwan ) is a Taiwanese businessman and politician of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). He was one of eight dissidents (the "Eight of Kaohsiung") who were sentenced to several years' imprisonment following the Kaohsiung Incident (1979) under the Kuomintang party dictatorship, and co-founder and longtime director of the Taiwanese television network Formosa TV . In 2012, the Taiwan Supreme Court sentenced Chang to a nine-year prison term for embezzlement, which was reduced to two years and seven months in March 2014 after a revision.

Early political activity

Chang Chun-hung studied at Chengchi National University and Taiwan National University , where he earned a master's degree in political science in 1964. Chang later got a job in the office of the Central Committee of the ruling Kuomintang Party, but did not join the party. In the following period he wrote several magazine articles in which he criticized the legal system of the government and discussed the problem of the sovereignty of the Republic of China in Taiwan . In 1972 he published together with Hsu Hsin-liang the book "Analysis of Social Forces in Taiwan (chin .: .: 社會 力 的 分析Táiwān shèhuìlì de fēnxī ), in which it is argued that political reforms require a broad societal basis.

In 1973, Chang ran as a non-party member (apart from the Kuomintang, no parties were allowed) for the Taipei City Council , but narrowly missed the move. In 1975 he co-founded the magazine "Commentaries on Taiwanese Politics (Chinese: 台灣 政論Táiwān Zhènglùn )", which was soon banned. In 1977, Chang successfully ran for membership in the Taiwan Provincial Assembly of Nantou County MP , where he formed a "13-member Dangwai faction" of non-Kuomintang MPs with Lin Yi-hsiung , Yu-Chen Yueh-ying, and others .

In 1979 Chang became editor-in-chief of the newly formed opposition magazine "Formosa". After a pro-democracy event organized by the magazine on Human Rights Day on December 10, 1979, the Kaohsiung Incident broke out , as a result of which Chang was arrested along with other well-known dissidents (known as the "Eight of Kaohsiung") and joined one in April 1980 was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Later political career

After his release from prison in 1988, Chang joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), founded two years earlier, and became its general secretary (until 1993).

From 1991 to 1992 Chang was a representative of the DPP in the National Assembly . In 1992 he was elected as a member of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei City and was a member of that body with interruptions until 2004.

When Shih Ming-teh stepped down from the DPP party chairmanship in 1996, Chang temporarily took over the office of party chairman. In 1998 he voted for the party chairman election, but was beaten to Lin Yi-hsiung.

During the tenure of President Chen Shui-bian (2000–2008), Chang served at times as Vice- President of the Straits Exchange Foundation .

In later times, Chang often emerged as a critic of his party and the government provided by his party and announced on November 7, 2007 that he would run for president the following year, but he ultimately did not register.

In late 2009, Chang ran for the office of Nantou County Chairman. During the election campaign, he went on hunger strike to protest the eight unsuccessful years that his party, the DPP, had been in power. In the end, he was not elected.

Embezzlement scandal

Together with others, Chang founded Formosa TV , the first private television broadcaster in Taiwan, in 1996 and served as the broadcaster's managing director for many years.

In October 2004 cases of embezzlement came to light in the station. Chang denied knowing what was going on, but said he would be available as the judge's chief executive officer. The Taipei Procuratorate found evidence of embezzlement on the part of Chang, and on June 6, 2006 charges against him, his partner, and 12 others. Chang and his partner were charged with using the television station's share capital for private investment deals.

On October 25, 2007, the Taipei District Court sentenced Chang to an 11-year prison term for embezzlement. Chang appealed. On November 13, 2012, the Taiwanese Supreme Court initially set the sentence to nine years in the second instance, but after a revision it was reduced to two years and seven months in February 2014.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://mass-age.com/wpmu/blog/2010/05/07/8308/
2. ↑ http://www.nownews.com/2009/12/01/301-2540335.htm
3. ↑ http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20121114/34640704/
4. ↑ http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2014/new/feb/14/today-p2.htm?Slots=P The Liberty Times, February 14, 2014

Web links

http://www.taiwangene.org.tw/mright/about_1.asp Website of Chang Chun-hung

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Chang is the family name here, Chun-hung is the first name.