The mother of a four-year-old girl who was decapitated in an apparently random attack in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) on Monday has urged the public to donate money to needy charitable organizations instead of her family.
Flowers, toys, gifts and messages were left on a sidewalk near the Xihu Elementary School in Neihu District, close to where the toddler — nicknamed Xiao Deng Pao (小燈泡, little lightbulb) — was killed.
The girl’s mother, who has identified only as Clair Wang, said that a mourning hall for her daughter has been set up near the Taipei City No. 1 Funeral Parlor on Minquan E Road, and called on people to visit and write condolence messages on prepared cards.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
She also called on the public to leave their hatred behind them, urging an end to attacks between people with different opinions on capital punishment and criminal justice issues.
She also said that she does not support any organization that tries to use the case and her daughter’s name for its own agenda.
Meanwhile, political commentators and government officials condemned the Taipei Police Department for releasing information from a preliminary investigation that said Wang Ching-yu (王景玉), the suspect in the brutal killing, had a history of mental illness and had exhibited eccentric behavior for some time.
Political commentator Wang Rui-de (王瑞德) said it is the job of prosecutors and other judicial agencies to consider all evidence and witness testimonies to determine if cases should be prosecuted and if a suspect is fit to stand trial.
“The police officials pronounced that Wang [Ching-yu] clearly has a mental disorder, but they based it only on sketchy evidence, a few interviews with Wang [Ching-yu’s] family and some neighbors, while the investigation is still in an early phase,” Wang Rui-de said. “These officials are taking over the judicial duties of prosecutors and judges. They are subverting the due process of law.”
The issue was raised when police released the details of a preliminary investigation on Tuesday, one day after the girl’s killing, which said Wang [Ching-yu] had a history of mental health issues. It also seemed to blame random knife attacks on the nation’s health system and called for better monitoring and follow-up treatment of mental health patients.
Separately, judicial officials yesterday said that Wang Ching-yu was punched at the Taipei Detention Center where he was being held, but added that he was not injured.
He was reportedly attacked by two other detainees who were sent to a cell to repair the floor.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS