Felon Holds Knife to Neck and Flees Court

October 5, 2017October 9, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment escaped felon, hsinchu

A man who had his parole revoked after being arrested for firearms offenses put a knife to his own neck, told bailiffs to stay away, and escaped from the Hsinchu District Court wearing fetters yesterday, Wednesday, October 4. Ho Rong-qi (何榮淇) had just been told that he would be going back to prison when he drew a utility knife and threatened to kill himself. Ho escaped the basement-level court via the judges’ passageway and locked a fire door behind him,

Traffic Accidents

October 3, 2017October 3, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bus-accident, Kaohsiung, tour-bus

A tour coach carrying Chinese tourists in Kaohsiung this morning stuck fast against the top of a low-clearance underpass reserved exclusively for motorcycle traffic. At around 9:30am, the coach carrying 16 passengers, described as independent Chinese tourists on their way to Kenting, mistakenly took the motorcycle lane of the freeway underpass in Fengshan District. Although the vehicle was damaged, nobody was hurt and the passengers disembarked themselves. The driver was cagey about what happened. He insisted that his coach was

Military Affairs

October 3, 2017October 3, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Kaohsiung, ROC Navy, shipping accident, Suao

A navy Keelung-class destroyer collided with a fishing boat in Suao Port this morning, while in the port of Kaohsiung another Keelung-class destroyer was hit by a chemical tanker trying to berth at the port. At the Port of Suao in Ilan County, shortly before 8:00am, navy destroyer DDG-1801 hit a fishing vessel from behind as both were underway. The fishing boat captain, Wang Shingshen (王興盛) accused the warship of traveling too quickly. The fishing boat had a crew of

Society

October 2, 2017October 2, 2017 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment correctional facilities, Taipei Prison

A 6 storey building was opened at Taipei Prison in Taoyuan this morning. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said that the new facility will help reduce overcrowding and ensure that international human rights standards are met. The original prison was designed to hold 2,700 prisoners but already has a prison population that exceeds 3,000. The new building will be able to house 1,300 inmates in 146 cells that have bunk beds and a writing desk. Taiwan’s prison authorities are striving

Crime and Criminals

October 1, 2017October 1, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment gangsters, miaoli, snake alley

A Police SWAT team swooped on a property in Miaoli County yesterday and arrested Snake Alley gangster Jiang Liren(姜禮仁). Jiang had been on the run for over one year after failing to show up to serve an 11 year prison sentence. Jiang had been convicted of offenses that included attempted murder, intimidation with violence, and possession of unlawful weapons. Jiang was asleep when the SWAT team raided and did not attempt to resist arrest. A pistol and a pump-action, pistol-grip

Marine and Fisheries

October 1, 2017October 1, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment cetacean, hsinchucounty, whale

A whale carcass was recovered by researchers after being found washed up against wave breakers in Hsinchu County this morning, Sunday, October 1. Professor Wang Jianping(王建平) from Cheng Kung University Cetacean Research Center identified the animal as a species of baleen whale. The remains were taken back to the research center for further identification and study. The 10 meter long whale carcass was found in the vicinity of Gangnan Coastal Scenic Area. A fishing boat was used to tow the

Traffic Accidents

September 30, 2017September 30, 2017 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment formosa freeway, freeway accident, truck-accident

The driver of a truck that rear-ended a semi-trailer on the Formosa Freeway this morning is in a coma after sustaining critical injuries. Police say there are no signs of brake marks on the road. The accident happened around 5:00am in the northbound lanes of Freeway #3 at the 142km mark in Miaoli County. Police said it appeared that the 55 year-old driver of the goods truck failed to keep a safe distance between his vehicle and the coal truck

A firefighter hoses down a colleague covered in acid

Health and Safety

September 29, 2017September 29, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment factory fire, New Taipei City

Eleven firefighters had to be treated in hospital after being injured by acid burns and inhalation, while fighting a fire at a factory in Tucheng yesterday evening, September 28. The factory belongs to printed circuit board manufacturer Unitech. According to Liberty Times Network, Unitech staff at the Tucheng factory are suspected to have deliberately concealed the fact that there were hazardous materials on site, putting firefighters lives in danger. New Taipei City Fire Bureau received a report of the fire

Society

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment foreign workers, illegal immigration

Immigration police, New Taipei City police, and Labor Bureau officials yesterday raided a chicken slaughter and distribution factory in Hsinchuang District. Of 78 foreign workers, 65 were found to be undocumented. Police received a tip-off recently that a chicken factory was employing the undocumented foreign workers in order to meet extra demand for chicken meat in the lead up to the mid-Autumn festival, when Taiwanese according to recent tradition, gather with family and friends to enjoy a barbecue. The 2,000

little blue truck sandwiched between gravel trucks

Traffic Accidents

September 28, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment gravel-truck, little-blue-truck

A driver involved in a fatal accident where a small truck was sandwiched between two semi-trailers was found to have lied when he said that the vehicle in front had suddenly stopped, leaving him no time to brake and avoid a collision. Tuesday morning September 26, a 33 year-old driver of a small truck was killed after being sandwiched between two gravel trucks. Internal video monitors from the gravel truck driver’s cabin released yesterday, showed that the driver was not

Traffic Accidents

September 27, 2017September 27, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bus-accident

[Picture: Ilan County Fire Bureau (CNA)] Twelve people required hospital treatment after a bus collided with a sedan, then plowed into a tree in Ilan City this afternoon. Nine of the injured were students. According to Liberty Times Network, the oldest injured was an 81 year-old woman with an ankle injury, and the youngest was a 7 year-old boy with a broken hand. Eight of the injured were junior high school students. The bus driver was also injured. The accident

Felon Holds Knife to Neck and Flees Court

Tour Coach Stuck in Motorcycle Underpass

Two Collisions Involving Navy Ships in One Day

Taipei Prison Expansion Completed: Overcrowding to be Reduced

Shotgun and Pistol Found in Possession of Wanted Man

Remains of Whale Found in Hsinchu

Truck Involved in Rear End Accident Showed no Signs of Braking

11 Firefighters Treated for Acid Burns: Unitech Factory Fire

65 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Swoop on Chicken Slaughterhouse

Gravel Truck Driver Looking Around and Digging His Ear Before Sandwiching Little Blue Truck

12 Injured in in Minibus Crash