Is anyone following the Sean Lien case in Taiwan?

[500grains]

Sean Lien, son of Taiwan's former Vice President Lien Chan, was shot in the face about 10 days ago during a campaign event in Taiwan. The shooter used a Sig pistol in 9mm. I have no more detail about the ammo. Initial news reports were that the shooting resulted in a contact wound just under the jaw line and that the bullet went through Sean Lien's left jaw bone, transverse upward through the face to a point just below the right temple where the bullet exited, then striking a person in a wheelchair who it killed. The initial reports (in Mandarin) said that Mr. Lien had 300 broken bones in his face. {let's put a "???" right there}

At the time of the shooting, Sean Lien's father's only remark was that perhaps this shooting would cause voter's to support his party. {another ???}

As he was carried off with this supposedly devastating face wound, Sean Lien held up the "V" sign with his fingers. {???}

Two days later, the press reported that Sean Lien was recovering well, walking around and eating a sandwich. {No effing way! ???}

Sounds to me like there is a rotten kettle of fish here. I cannot imagine any face wound other than a graze mark resulting in such a quick recovery. If there were photos, x-rays or anything else to work from I would post them, but Mr. Lien's representatives (from the KMT political party) have refused to release anything more.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...-shooting.html

[Odd Job]

I cannot imagine any face wound other than a graze mark resulting in such a quick recovery.

Need more info, definitely. Certainly 300 fractures is not an accurate statement. If they mean 300 fragments that's also unlikely (there is considerable difficulty in enumerating the number of bone fragments in some of these cases, especially if you have pieces of jacketing and lead in the wound also).

He might be able to chew a sandwich, depending on the type of fracture he has and if his nerves and muscles have been spared. But without the X-rays it is all speculation.

[Target07]

Sean Lien, son of Taiwan's former Vice President Lien Chan, was shot in the face about 10 days ago during a campaign event in Taiwan. The shooter used a Sig pistol in 9mm. I have no more detail about the ammo. Initial news reports were that the shooting resulted in a contact wound just under the jaw line and that the bullet went through Sean Lien's left jaw bone, transverse upward through the face to a point just below the right temple where the bullet exited, then striking a person in a wheelchair who it killed. The initial reports (in Mandarin) said that Mr. Lien had 300 broken bones in his face. {let's put a "???" right there}

At the time of the shooting, Sean Lien's father's only remark was that perhaps this shooting would cause voter's to support his party. {another ???}

As he was carried off with this supposedly devastating face wound, Sean Lien held up the "V" sign with his fingers. {???}

Two days later, the press reported that Sean Lien was recovering well, walking around and eating a sandwich. {No effing way! ???}

Sounds to me like there is a rotten kettle of fish here. I cannot imagine any face wound other than a graze mark resulting in such a quick recovery. If there were photos, x-rays or anything else to work from I would post them, but Mr. Lien's representatives (from the KMT political party) have refused to release anything more.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...-shooting.html

I am w/ you on this one. Sounds like a stretch to say the least. I am no balistics expert but the only way that I can imagine that you could have 300 "fractures" (if that is what they meant) is from a shotgun at point blank range...that being said, you probably couldn't find all of the peices to count.

My $.02 says it's BS.

[500grains]

The news reports in Taiwan, based on the 'information' released by the Kuomintang representative, have been two different scenarios:

First scenario reported: Bullet entered under the jaw, broke the jaw bone, blew out 7 teeth, traveled diagonally through the flesh and bones of the face to exit at the opposite temple. (no mention of the bullet or teeth or bones going through his tongue)

Second scenario reported: Bullet entered the cheek and traveled diagonally through the flesh of the face to exit at the opposite temple.

The follow up reports from the Taiwan press are that 40 hrs after being shot, Mr. Lian was walking around in the hospital, talking to visitors and eating a sandwich.

Maybe I am just a wimp, but I don't think I could eat a sandwich after having a 9mm go through my face.

The conspiracy theory camp thinks the shooting was faked to gain a sympathy vote for the KMT.

In 2004 when Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian was shot in the belly while campaigning, the KMT accused him of (a) faking the shooting, or (b) staging the shooting. When Mr. Chen showed the bullet graze across his belly and the stitches on tv, the opposition party accused him of using a surgeon to fake the wound.

U.S. forensic expert Dr. Henry Lee went to Taiwan to investigate the case. By that time the shooter had been caught. He had used a home made gun and home made ammo (guns are illegal in Taiwan so it is not easy to purchase one). Dr. Lee's report was that Mr. Chen had indeed been shot. But Dr. Lee oddly stated in his report that the shooter did not intend to kill Mr. Chen because if he had intended to kill Chen, the shooter would have used a more powerful gun.

[spdldr]

About thirty years ago a man was shot in the upper face with a .45 auto while the gas station near Klamath Falls OR he was working at was held up. He fell down and lay there until the ambulance came to take him. He then got up and walked to the ambulance. The newspaper report stated that the doctors decided to leave the bullet in place as it would be too dangerous to remove.

"From an analysis of these facts and the requirements for penetration of skin and bone, it can be readily appreciated that the .45 caliber bullet is of little value as a wound producing agent except in the softer tissues and at near ranges. The bullet often fails either to penetrate or fracture bone and practically never shatters bone in the manner common to the rifle bullet or fragment. The Japanese and German sidearms with muzzle velocities of approximately 1,100 f.p.s. were much more effective as antipersonnel weapons than the .45 caliber weapon." Page 140, WOUND BALLISTICS, Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army.

[Odd Job]

The face is a complex target. I would wager that if a sizeable GSW dataset was analysed, then the wounds involving the face would be more likely to have unexpected changes in trajectory, fragmentation (or not) of the projectile and a lot of variation in clinical outcomes.

[JoshNC]

As an ENT Surgeon who covers facial trauma, I call faulty reporting on the 300 facial fractures comment in that report.

[tpd223]

The face is a complex target. I would wager that if a sizeable GSW dataset was analysed, then the wounds involving the face would be more likely to have unexpected changes in trajectory, fragmentation (or not) of the projectile and a lot of variation in clinical outcomes.

Indeed.

In 24 years on the street I have lost track of how many folks I have seen running around after having been shot in the head/face.



ETA this;

http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksd...5figure179.jpg

[Spiffums]

U.S. forensic expert Dr. Henry Lee went to Taiwan to investigate the case. By that time the shooter had been caught. He had used a home made gun and home made ammo (guns are illegal in Taiwan so it is not easy to purchase one). Dr. Lee's report was that Mr. Chen had indeed been shot. But Dr. Lee oddly stated in his report that the shooter did not intend to kill Mr. Chen because if he had intended to kill Chen, the shooter would have used a more powerful gun.

So much for the "Free China".........

[okie john]

First scenario reported: Bullet entered under the jaw, broke the jaw bone, blew out 7 teeth, traveled diagonally through the flesh and bones of the face to exit at the opposite temple. (no mention of the bullet or teeth or bones going through his tongue)

Second scenario reported: Bullet entered the cheek and traveled diagonally through the flesh of the face to exit at the opposite temple.

Third scenario: The Lien shooting was faked to cover up a successful hit on the guy in the wheelchair. "300 broken bones" is a metaphorical comment on the ruling party's economic policy that was slipped past the censors by a dissident journalist who has been apprehended, tried, convicted, and sentenced to cover the next election from a wheelchair.

You guys don't understand China very well, do you?


Okie John