ROC Legislative Yuan Erupts in Physical Brawl During Parliamentary Reform Vote; Legislator Puma Shen Suffers Concussion After Fall from Speaker's Podium

On May 17, 2024, the Republic of China Legislative Yuan descended into the most violent parliamentary brawl since the lifting of martial law, as ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers clashed physically during the contentious vote on amendments to the Legislative Yuan Functions Act, a package of national parliament reform bills that DPP members and President Lai Ching-te's administration characterized as an executive power grab by the opposition-controlled legislature. During the chaos, DPP at-large legislator Puma Shen (Shen Bo-yang) attempted to climb onto the speaker's podium and was forcibly pulled back and thrown to the ground by KMT legislator Chiu Chen-chun (邱鎮軍) and others, sustaining a severe fall that landed him head and neck first. Shen was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with traumatic head injury with concussion syndrome, left facial contusion, and multiple abrasions across his limbs, becoming the most high-profile injured lawmaker from the incident. The DPP and green-leaning media portrayed the incident as KMT legislators resorting to violence to suppress democratic oversight; the KMT countered that DPP lawmakers had first rushed the podium and deliberately disrupted legislative proceedings. The mutual recriminations triggered cascading criminal complaints between lawmakers. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office conducted an extended investigation covering multiple brawl incidents between 2024 and 2025. On February 12, 2026, prosecutors concluded their investigation and indicted ten legislators from both parties on charges of assault and coercion — including Chiu Chen-chun (KMT, indicted for injuring Shen), Hsieh Lung-chieh, Liao Wei-hsiang, Huang Chien-hao, Huang Jen (KMT), and Lin Shu-fen, Lin Chu-yin, Ko Chien-ming, Wang Hung-wei, and Chen Yu-chen (DPP/cross-party) — setting an unprecedented record for the largest number of sitting ROC legislators indicted in a single related series of parliamentary violence cases.