It is not hard to imagine the traumatic effect these events had on the singer. The events also had a political impact, prompting the opposition to demand then-Premier Lien Chan of the ruling Kuomintang to step down to take responsibility for the high crime rate.

The crime situation has not improved since Pai Hsiao-yen’s death.

However, there has been a continuous campaign to abolish capital punishment on this island, despite poll after poll showing public opinion in Taiwan is overwhelmingly against the abolition of the death penalty.

One reason given by those who advocate the abolition of the death penalty is that it is cruel and a violation of human rights. There is some validity to this claim, but the death penalty can be carried out in a relatively humane way by using methods of execution that cause little pain, such as lethal injection.

While human rights protection is an issue, the right of the public to personal safety should also be considered. There is little doubt that the death penalty is a deterrent to heinous crimes.

Another argument against the use of capital punishment is that innocent people may be executed by mistake. The fact is that, in Taiwan, the death penalty is ordered by the court only when there is clear evidence showing the suspect is guilty. The chances of imposing a death sentence by mistake are almost nil.

A strong reason for keeping the death penalty is the rising crime rate. It is true that the high crime rate is the result of a multitude of factors. However, responsible implementation of the law is a useful tool in deterring lawbreaking, and the death penalty certainly has a deterrent effect. Statistics gathered in the U.S. indicate that states which do not have the death penalty have a higher number of capital crimes.

Also, those who favor the abolition of the death penalty tend to think only of the rights of murderers and to ignore the feelings of those affected by the victims of the criminals. As long as a cold-blooded murderer remains living in prison, the family, relatives and friends of his or her victim will probably continue to live in agony and even fear.

There may be a case for eventually abolishing the death penalty, but doing away with its use now is impractical and would meet with strong public disapproval.

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