Taiwan People's Party Chairman Ko Wen-je expressed his concerns about the protracted nature of the New Taipei City child sedation case during a press conference on Friday (June 16). Following a meeting with Kuomintang Hsinchu City Council Speaker Hsu Hsiu-jui, Ko raised questions about the case's investigative process.
"Where did the medication come from?" he inquired. "Is it not possible to conclude the investigation within 30 minutes after separately interrogating the teachers and the principal?" Ko emphasized the urgent need to establish the truth: "Nearly ten days have passed, and yet we remain uninformed."
The meeting between Ko and Hsu, members of different political parties, has prompted speculation regarding Ko's underlying motivations. In response, Ko remarked, "I have had a longstanding relationship with Speaker Hsu, and naturally, I felt obliged to visit my hometown first."
The New Taipei City child sedation case has triggered widespread outrage throughout Taiwan. Parents have accused staff members at a kindergarten of administering sedatives, including barbiturate phenobarbital and benzodiazepines, to their children.
On Friday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that all kindergarten children in New Taipei City can undergo free drug testing at Taipei Hospital to detect the presence of these substances. On Thursday (June 15), the ministry confirmed that 28 children had received negative results from the drug tests.