Author: Phillip Charlier

Man sentenced to death for arson attack that left 8 of his family members dead

Hsinchu District Court
Violent Crimes 
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A man who was found guilty of setting fire to his family’s business and residence, resulting in the death of eight people, was sentenced to death by the Hsinchu District Court today, September 28. [See previous story: 8 family members dead after arson attack in Hsinchu City] The prosecutor told the court that Chen Yanxiang had financial problems due to the accumulation of debts, and had often quarreled with his parents over housework issues. At around 9:40 pm on June

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Amphetamine factory raided in Kaohsiung City

police raid drug making operation in Kaohsiung City
Drugs 
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Police arrested three people after raiding a large-scale amphetamine manufacturing operation in Kaohsiung City that contained enough drug material to make an estimated NT$56 million worth of methamphetamine. According to reports in United Daily News, and Liberty Times, police began an investigation after a tip-off and found that a man, named Zhang rented a shed in an isolated area beside the Qieyu Wetland Park in January this year. Zhang and two other suspects are alleged to have purchased 200,000 cold

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Suspect in fatal hit and run case found dead of apparent suicide after fleeing the scene of the accident

car driver makes illegal left turn in front of approaching scooter
Traffic Accidents 
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A driver who allegedly fled from the scene of a fatal accident in Taoyuan City yesterday, was found dead in Yilan County last night, suspected of having committed suicide. Police began an investigation into a fatal hit and run case after a woman was found without vital signs beside her badly-damaged motor scooter in the middle of an intersection in Dayuan District. The 23-year-old woman, named Liang, was rushed to hospital, but declared dead after arrival. Police investigators accessed traffic

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Hornets nest removed after 4 hikers stung in New Taipei City mountain district

Asian giant hornets and nest
Animals Health and Safety 
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Specialist hornet catchers removed a nest of Asian Giant Hornets, after five hikers were stung in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District today. Keelung City Fire Department received a report at 10:46 am that three men and one woman were stung by hornets near the Tianwaitian Garden Cemetery. A 70-year-old man, a 64-year-old man, and a 60-year-old woman were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. A 69-year-old man sought medical treatment on his own. The female hiker, named Liu was the

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Four firefighters dead, more than 100 people injured after explosions and fire in southern Taiwan industrial park

factory on fire in Pingtung County, Taiwan
Fire 
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More than 100 people have been reported injured, and four firefighters are confirmed to have died, after a fire and multiple explosions at a factory in southern Taiwan, Friday, September 22. At around 5:30 pm, residents up to 10 kilometers away from the Pingtung Technology Industrial Park reported hearing a large explosion. Residents close to the site of the explosion felt the earth shake, and said that a strong chemical stench immediately followed the blast. Pingtung County Fire Department received

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Hornet attack on hiking group leaves 2 dead, 9 injured

line of ambulances waiting for sting victims
Animals Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Eleven people in a group of 20 hikers were stung by hornets in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District today, and four people were seriously injured. Two men lost vital signs and were declared dead after arrival at the hospital. The New Taipei City Fire Department received reports of the hornet attack at 11:38 am. Twenty ambulances and 51 personnel were dispatched to the trailhead. A command post was set up at the trailhead, and a rescue team was sent to

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Electric buses to replace diesel burners on Tamsui – Banqiao bus route from tomorrow

Foxtron electric bus Model T
Business and Economy 
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Thirteen new electric buses will join New Taipei City’s public transportation fleet tomorrow, plying route 857 between Banqiao and Tamsui districts. Sanchung Bus Company said that 13 buses on the company’s cross-district trunk line will be replaced by Foxtron Model T electric buses. The Taiwan designed and manufactured buses were first launched in Kaohsiung City in March last year. The 857 route will be the first time the Model T is used in northern Taiwan. The Model T has a

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If you park on the sidewalk, I will walk on your car

man walking on car parked on pedestrian path
Odd News 
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Two men filed police complaints against each other after one parked his car on a pedestrian path, and the the other walked on, and damaged the car, in Taipei City last week. According to reports, a 26-year-old man, named Chiou, pulled over onto a pedestrian path on Yanji Street, and waited for his girlfriend while she was buying breakfast. A 35-year-old man, named Ho, who was walking on the pedestrian path, refused to go around the car, and instead stepped

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Police station evacuated after man walks in with unexploded wartime bomb

man holding unexploded wartime mortar bomb
Health and Safety 
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Police evacuated their station and called army bomb disposal experts after a man walked in with an unexploded bomb unearthed on a nearby worksite in Changhua County Wednesday, September 13. According to reports, workers clearing a site for a landscape improvement project in Hemei Township dug up an unexploded military bomb on Wednesday afternoon. As the worksite was just 20 meters away from the Zhongliao Police Station, the site supervisor decided to pick the unexploded ordnance up and take it

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The Curse of KFC Grandpa: TECO issues travel warning for Osaka Japan in case baseball fans go wild tonight

composite image showing damaged Colonel Sanders statue and fans jumping into the Dotonburi Canal
Odd News Regional 
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The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Osaka, Japan, issued a travel warning advising Taiwanese visiting the city to avoid crowded places if the Hanshin Tigers win Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball final tonight. The travel warning came as police stepped up security around the city, deploying 1,300 police in expectation of a Hanshin Tigers victory in the Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League. Hanshin Tigers fans have a notorious reputation for fanaticism that borders on violence. While fights occasionally break

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