Nguyen Quoc Dong (right)

Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) The father and sister of deceased Vietnamese migrant worker Nguyen Quoc Phi were among those who rallied in front of the Presidential Office on Wednesday to seek justice for the worker, who was shot and killed by police in Taiwan last month.

The latest rally was organized by the Migrant Empowerment Network in Taiwan (MENT) and other rights groups following the recent release of ambulance videos showing that police and paramedics delayed treating Nguyen after he was shot nine times.

"Whether my brother was at fault or not, the police should not have shot him nine times," said Nguyen's 26-year-old younger sister, Nguyen Thi Thao, who held a photo of her brother.

Nguyen, who broke down in tears and trembled as she spoke, asked why the first ambulance to arrive at the scene did not help her brother, and demanded an apology from the police officer who killed him.

"The policeman fired nine shots at my son and killed him. I am heartbroken," said the father, Nguyen Quoc Dong.

"I hope Taiwan's president and other officials will punish the killer, and give my family and son justice," the 66-year-old said.

Nguyen Thi Thao also asked the Taiwan public to help her family obtain a recording of her brother's last words in the ambulance.

Nguyen Quoc Phi was shot and killed by police officer Chen Chung-wen (陳崇文) in Hsinchu County on the morning of Aug. 31. According to police, Nguyen attacked the police officer and a community watch officer when they tried to stop him from vandalizing and stealing a car.

Video recorded by the first ambulance on the scene shows that Nguyen was still alive when the ambulance arrived. The footage shows that the police officer and paramedics stood watching as the migrant worker lie there bleeding, without offering any medical assistance.

The first ambulance left carrying the injured community watch officer. A second ambulance arrived later and this time, the paramedics are seen assisting Nguyen. He was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital.

Chen Hsiu-lien (陳秀蓮), a researcher at the Taiwan International Workers' Association, asked why the police officer did not try to subdue or cuff Nguyen after the first ambulance arrived if he thought Nguyen still posed a threat, but simply let the worker lie by the police car and die.

Nguyen's father, sister, lawyers and labor rights activists later went inside the Presidential Office to submit their petition to officials.

In response to the rally, Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said that the government pays attention to and protects the rights of migrant workers.

Lin said the case is currently being investigated by the judicial authorities and that his office will respect the results of the investigation.

(By Christie Chen)
Enditem/J