Off-duty cop shot dead in Tainan City

police officer receives award from Tainan Mayor William Lai

June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment homicide, police officer shot, Tainan City

An off-duty Criminal Investigation Bureau police officer was shot dead in a Tainan City karaoke bar in the early hours of the morning, after he ran into criminal with a long-standing grudge against him. Liu Sanrong (劉三榮), 45, went to the karaoke bar with two colleagues after finishing work yesterday evening. While Liu was enjoying drinks and singing with his friends, a man named Mei (梅) arrived with two friends. Knowing that Mei and Liu had grievances against each other,

cannabis found in a suitcase at Taoyuan International Airport

Drugs

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cannabis, marijuana, Taoyuan International Airport

Taiwan Customs Administration has already removed Canada and the USA from the list of countries with a low risk of drug trafficking, after a passenger arriving on a flight from Los Angeles was found with two suitcases full of cannabis earlier this month. A Taiwanese citizen named Guo (郭) was intercepted at Taipei Taoyuan airport at 5:00am on June 1, and found to have 37 kilograms of cannabis heads packed in 66 bags in two checked-in suitcases. There had been

Violent Crimes

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment gang violence, gangsters, hostage, shooting, Taoyuan City

Police have have blockaded streets around a car dealership next to the Taoyuan City Council building on Sanmin Road this evening, after two armed gangsters stormed the car yard, fired several shots, and took 9 people hostage. The siege began at around 7:00pm, and the men were said to be armed with handguns, rifles, and a grenade. The suspects are believed to be members of the Heavenly Way Alliance, belonging to a faction called the Justice League. The suspects are

Health and Safety

June 11, 2019June 11, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Chiayi County, drowning, exchange students, Nanhua University

Two Indian exchange students were declared dead at the hospital after they took a late night swim and drowned in a pond nearby their university dormitory early this morning in Chiayi County. According to United Daily News, Chiayi County Fire Bureau received a report at 2:44pm, from a location in Dalin Township, and rushed to the rescue. However, when paramedics arrived the two men had been pulled out of the pond by their companions, but had lost breathing and heartbeat.

Health and Safety

June 11, 2019June 11, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bus crash, Changhua County, National Freeway, Taoyuan City

Two traffic accidents involving tour buses on Taiwan’s National Freeway 1 resulted in three fatalities, and left at least 22 injured after separate incidents in Taoyuan City, and Changhua County, yesterday, June 10. In Taoyuan County, at the 51.4 kilometer mark southbound, a bus belonging to the Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport company crashed into the back of a flatbed semi-trailer at around 2:45pm. The driver of the bus lost vital signs at the scene of the accident, and was declared dead

fall armyworm detected in corn crop in Taiwan

Business and Economy

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Agriculture, exotic pests, fall armyworm, invasive species

Agriculture officials confirmed today that caterpillars found on a farm in Miaoli County two days ago have been positively identified as fall armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive species that has devastated crops across north America, Africa, the middle east, and continental Asia in recent years. The suspect larvae were found on a corn crop at the Flying Cow Ranch in Tongxiao Township, June 8, and were sent to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine for analysis.

Violent Crimes

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment gang violence, New Taipei City, Ruifang District, shooting

Three men were shot and injured after an altercation at a karaoke bar in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District late last night, June 9. The three men, named Tu, 47, Lian, 54, and Cao, 25, left the karaoke bar after a dispute broke out with a group of ten men. After arriving at a friends house, the group of men turned up in two cars, and at least one gunman fired at least 13 shots into the glass-fronted living room

Society

June 8, 2019June 8, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cannabis, drug laws, hemp seed oil

Narcotics control authorities in Kaohsiung City warned the public not to purchase oil of unclear origin after traces of THC were detected in flax seed oil imported into Taiwan. After being informed by a member of the public, officials from the Kaohsiung City Government Department of Substance Abuse Control and Prevention were shocked to find that people were openly selling hemp seed oil products on the Internet. The bureau also cited a case of a woman who imported flax seed

Society

June 8, 2019June 8, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Agency of Corrections, aging society, prison administration, prisoner rights

As Taiwan faces the challenges of an aging population, prison administrators are also encountering the problem of an increase in the number of elderly prisoners requiring special care behind bars. According to statistics of the Ministry of Justice, Agency of Corrections, the number of elderly prisoners first exceeded 1,000 out of the total population of 60,000 inmates in 2015, and has been increasing year by year ever since. At the end of April, 2019, the number of prisoners over 65

woman attends hospital board election after being beaten up by thug

Violent Crimes

June 6, 2019June 6, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment funeral industry, hospital, Kaohsiung City, organized crime

The 75-year-old wife of a deputy director of a hospital in Kaohsiung City was beaten up by a thug last Friday, but the incident was not related to a hospital board election she was about to attend, a suspect told police after his arrest, Tuesday, June 4. At around 8:00am, Friday, May 31, Kaohsiung City police received a report from eyewitnesses that an elderly woman had been beaten up by a man dressed in black in a carpark in Lingya

Animals

June 3, 2019June 3, 2019 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cobra, snakes, Taichung City

The Taichung City Municipal Tourism Bureau warned hikers to take precautions after a very large cobra was spotted on a trail on Dakeng Mountain last week. The tourism bureau published pictures and a video of the snake to its Facebook page a few days ago, urging people not to panic if they see a snake, and not to provoke them. According to a Liberty Times report, an unidentified religious group released snakes in the area a few years ago, and

Off-duty cop shot dead in Tainan City

Taiwan Customs to tighten checks for flights from North America after record marijuana haul at Taoyuan Airport

Police in standoff with armed gangsters holding hostages in Taoyuan City

Two Indian students drown in Chiayi County

Two bus accidents in one day on one freeway leave 3 dead, 22 injured

Serious crop pest “fall armyworm” detected for the first time in Taiwan

Three men shot and wounded in Ruifang District

Taiwan’s Reefer Madness extends to hemp seed oil: Public cautioned

Prison administrators face challenge as number of elderly prisoners increases

Elderly woman beaten up not related to hospital board election: suspect says

Tourism Bureau warns hikers to take care after large cobra spotted in Taichung