Taipei, April 11 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian told a former military attache of the South African Embassy on Wednesday that the former South African official and his family members had displayed an "incredible" amount of "love" and "courage."
The president made the remarks at the Presidential Office when he received McGill Alexander, his wife Anne and daughter Christine, all of whom were held at gunpoint on Nov. 18, 1997 in their suburban Taipei residence by Chen Chin-hsing, Taiwan's then-most wanted criminal.
The ordeal of Alexander, his wife and their three children gripped the whole nation after the drama was played out live on television that night. Chen was Taiwan's most wanted criminal at the time, having committed several murders, including the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the daughter of local TV celebrity Pai Ping-ping. Chen was later arrested, tried and executed.
Alexander, a devout Christian, said he has written a book based on that nights' ordeal with the intention of sharing "love" with more people. The president lauded him for bravely walking through "the valley of death" and displaying the beauty of human nature.
Chen said that Nov. 18 is also a special day for him, since his wife Wu Su-chen was hit by a car on the same day, resulting in paralysis from the waist down. The president added that Alexander's courage was an amazing display of character in the face of a crisis. Chen added that after his wife was paralyzed by the car, the couple had to utilize the same love and courage in order to face each other and their ensuing lives.
Alexander, who retired and returned to South Africa in 1998, is visiting Taiwan to attend a breakfast meeting Saturday to pray for the island.
The president said that only true love will bring true peace, adding that he hopes that with the help of Alexander's prayers, Taiwan will become a place of true love and everlasting peace for both sides of the Taiwan Strait. "We will not only be the children of Taiwan," but also the "children of peace," he added.
The president also recalled that Christine, only 12 years old at the time, had drawn a heart-shaped picture to express her love of God, her family and the arrangement of fate.
Alexander expressed his appreciation to Taipei City government and Taiwan's people for their love and concern for his family. He added that Taiwan people's love had given him more confidence in human nature.