brother of an armed police officer. Regardless, the families of the victims questioned the possibility of 32 men subdued by three criminals. On April 18 the PRC Premier Li Peng announced talks to explain the case. On May 8, the Taiwanese SEF organized a group to go to the scene of the incident to comprehend the case. On June 3, PRC authorities in Hangzhou City announced public prosecution. On June 10, the common pleas of the Hangzhou City reached the last instance. During the trial, the ARATS invited the SEF to visit the public prosecution, and contacted the SEF once again before the last instance, but was refused by the SEF. The families of the victims also refused to visit the process of the trial. On June 12, the verdict was made, and the three suspects Wu Lihong, Hu Zhihan, Yu Aijun were all charged of robbery and murder, and were sentenced to death. On June 19, the three convicted were executed. Consequences The Chinese government avoided further clarification of several disputed points that the Taiwanese authorities addressed. The Taiwanese Mainland Affairs Council announced a statement on June 15 that criticized the way the PRC authorities treated the Qiandao Lake Incident, which may lead the case to be unsettled. Because the evidence was unclear, information about the case could not be verified and therefore led to speculations and rumors. Eventually, the Qiandao Lake Incident turned from a regular criminal case into a serious political event. To a greater extent, the Qiandao Lake Incident jeopardized the reconciliation of the relations between Taiwan and China. It was a crucial event that turned the public opinion of Taiwan around on the matters of Chinese unification. The percentage of Taiwanese people that supported unification decreased by a margin of 20% after the incident, while the percentage in support of Taiwan Independence instantly went up by a margin of 10%. Around half the general population supported the present situation between Taiwan and China to be unchanged. These were the direct consequences of the incident, which displayed the dissatisfaction of the Taiwanese people against the Chinese government. As a result, Taiwanese tourism in China suffered major setbacks, as the Taiwanese government temporarily halted group tour travel to China after the incident. Footnotes External links Fire on the Lake: The Thousand Island Lake Tragedy Crime in China Cross-Strait relations Maritime incidents in 1994 Ship fires Kidnappings in