Society

Drunk truck driver rams cop during police chase

police officer shoots at truck after driver tried to run him over
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The driver of a semi-trailer is facing a range of charges, including attempted murder, after he reversed into an officer on a police scooter in Taichung City yesterday, March 5. At around 2:00pm, an officer named Liu attempted to pull the driver over after he was observed going through a red light in Tanzi District, but the driver failed to stop, and led the officer on a chase, speeding along narrow country lanes narrowly missing cars, scooters and cyclists. At

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Family of four dead in murder-suicide

taxi in which family of four were found dead
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A man is suspected of having forcefully tied his wife up with adhesive tape and drugging his children before lighting charcoal, leading to the deaths of the family of four in Taichung City, yesterday, February 18. Mr Wu, 32, his 34-year-old wife, nine-year-old son, and six-year-old daughter were found dead in a taxi parked in a mountainous area of Taiping District Monday morning. Ms Wu had taken her two children to meet with her estranged husband to discuss her request

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Teen survives fall from 13th floor after landing on car

car after teen landed from the 13th floor
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A high school student leapt from the roof of a 13 storey building in Yonghe District, New Taipei City yesterday evening, and survived after landing on a car stopped at a red light. At around 6:00pm, the 17-year-old male named Lu came home, dropped off his schoolbag, then climbed the stairs to the roof of the Renai Road residence, and jumped, according to reports in local media agencies. Lu hit branches of a tree before landing on the roof of

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Death row inmate’s request for inflatable love doll rejected

death row inmate Hsiao Renchun
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A man who has been awaiting execution since he was sentenced to death in 2010 applied to purchase an inflatable love doll at his own expense, but had his request rejected by prison authorities. Hsiao Renchun (蕭仁俊 ) made his request in writing to prison authorities late last year, asking that prison administrators provide a place to store the love doll, and promising that he would clean the device after using it. Hsiao, a baptized Christian, and model prisoner, also

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5 injured in gas explosion in Banqiao District; suspected suicide attempt

apartment damaged by gas explosion
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Four men and one woman were hospitalized suffering burns and glass cuts after a gas explosion in a residence in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, in the early hours of the morning, today, February 9. According to reports in Apple Daily, and China Times, at around 2:20am residents around Lane 430, Xinhai Road, were awoken by a massive bang, causing windows to shatter around a 5th floor residence. The glass doors of the residence were completely destroyed, and the bent

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NT$Millions in gold found in discarded cabinet

gold bars and jewelry
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A man preparing to dismantle a cabinet to recycle the wood stumbled across gold bars and jewelry worth more than NT$1 million in Taitung County. Mr Deng, a woodworker in Chihshang Township, immediately took the haul of gold to the police station. Police traced the cabinet to its owner, who had thrown out the cabinet during the Lunar New Year spring cleaning. The owner of the cabinet, Mr Zhuang, brought receipts to the police station confirming the gold bars and

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Canadian busted growing cannabis in Taiwan

man arrested for cannabis cultivation
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A Canadian man was arrested yesterday after a police raid on a property in Taoyuan City uncovered 163 marijuana plants, and 893 grams of the finished product. The 52-year-old man, named as Lee in media reports, worked as an English teacher and has resided in Taiwan for more than 10 years. China Times reported that Lee purchased seeds and equipment online in August last year, and used hydroponics to grow a strain of cannabis ready to harvest in just four

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Chinese dissidents allowed into the country after spending 125 days in airport

Chinese asylum seekers
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Two Chinese men who sought political asylum, but were denied entry in September last year, have been allowed to enter Taiwan after spending 125 days living in Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. The two asylum seekers, Liu Xinglian, 64, and Yan Kefen, 44, were granted entry late last night, January 30, after flying to an un-named third destination and being granted a visa based on “professional exchange.” The professional exchange visas allow the two to stay in Taiwan for up to

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