Peng Wan-ru

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Peng.

Peng Wan-ru
Traditional 彭婉如
Mandarin Péng Wǎnrú
Born July 13, 1949
Died November 30, 1996 (aged 47)
Cause of death
 Murder
Body discovered
 Kaohsiung County
Political party
 Democratic Progressive Party
Spouse(s) Horng Wann-sheng
Children 1

Peng Wan-ru (Chinese: 彭婉如; pinyin: Péng Wǎnrú, July 13, 1949 - November 30, 1996) was a feminist Taiwanese politician. The director of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Women's Affairs Department, Peng advocated for the safety and development of women.[1][2] Peng married Horng Wann-sheng (洪萬生; Hóng Wànshēng, a mathematics professor at NTNU)[3] and they had a son together.[4]

Murder

In November 1996, Peng disappeared in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; the public last saw her board a yellow Ford Telstar taxi after a DPP meeting the night prior to a DPP convention. She was discovered raped and murdered outside of an abandoned warehouse in Kaohsiung County (now part of Kaohsiung City); her body had more than 30 stab wounds.[1][2]

Despite an extensive investigation, the police were unable to solve the crime. At least 70,000 Taiwanese taxi drivers had their fingerprints analyzed in an effort to find Peng's killer. Hung said that he felt frustrated that the killer was not found.[4] There have been numerous false leads since the murder.[5]

Response and Legacy

Peng's murder produced an outcry against the lack of protection women have in Taiwan. Peng's proposed quota for one fourth of the seats of the elected seats to be reserved for women passed during the November 30, 1996 DPP National Congress meeting; the public believes that Peng died during that day.[2]

Peng's death, along with two other well-publicized murder cases, led to mass demonstrations in May 1997. Demonstrators marched on 4 May 1997[6] and 18 May 1997,[7] demanding Premier Lien Chan's resignation[8][9] over the perceived rise in violent crime as evidenced by the then-unsolved murders of Pai Hsiao-yen, Peng Wan-ru and Liu Pang-yu.[10]

The Peng Wan-ru Foundation (彭婉如基金會; Péng Wǎnrú Jījīnhuì), an organization named after Peng and established in 1997 by Peng's husband,[11] supports women wishing to enter the labour force.[1] It trains women for participation in their child-care programs; once they have passed the courses, the Foundation matches them with households or elementary schools in need of child care.[1]

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Chang, Diane (July 6, 2003). "Women's foundation seeks financial aid". Taipei Times. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Yu, Sen-lun (November 30, 1999). "Peng's ideas still a beacon for women". Taipei Times. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
  3. ↑ 洪萬生. "洪萬生". NTNU Department of Mathematics. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lin, Irene (November 30, 1999). "Three years on, her killer is still at large". Taipei Times. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  5. ↑ Lin, Irene (16 September 1999). "Man claims to have killed Peng Wan-ru". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "15,000 in demo against crime". New Straits Times. 5 May 1997. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Marchers Demand That Premier Resign". Spokesman-Review. 19 May 1997. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Chen Chin-hsing set to be executed". Taipei Times. 6 October 1999. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Premier under fire over killings". Taiwan Info. Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 9 May 1997. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Furse, Jane (11 May 1997). "Taiwan in uproar over girl's killing". New York Daily News. News Wire. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Chen, Melody (16 May 2004). "Lin Fang-mei: first a feminist and now a diplomat". Taipei Times. Retrieved 5 January 2015.

External links