TAIWAN: PRESIDENT, NOT READY TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY

presidential spokesman Charles Chen cited President Ma Ying-jeou as saying that the government was unable to scrap capital punishment “at the moment,” but will continue to work toward reducing its use.
Chen's remark came after some interpreted a comment by Ma a day earlier as a sign that his administration might be considering abolishing the death penalty.
When asked by a reporter on his view of rising calls against the scrapping of the death penalty following the recent murder of an eight-year-old girl in a school bathroom, Ma said two opposing views have been in the debate for quite some time -- some people believe that capital punishment is unable to provide a deterrent, while others believe that abolishing the punishment will actually encourage crime. "I think we better observe this for some more time," Ma said.