The murder of a 10-year-old boy whose throat was slit in a games arcade in Greater Tainan over the weekend has reignited a debate over the death penalty after the suspect reportedly said he would get away with a life sentence.
Public anger mounted after 29-year-old suspect Tseng Wen-chin (曾文欽) was quoted in the media as saying he would get a life sentence at most “even if he were to kill two or three people” and that he wanted to go to jail to avoid having to worry about living expenses.
Protesters, who were outraged by reports the suspect said he “targeted kids because they were less likely to fight back,” gathered outside the Ministry of Justice yesterday to demand the execution of the nation’s death-row inmates.
There are currently 61 inmates on death row, caught in limbo partly because of a lengthy legal process and partly by a virtual moratorium on executions. The longest-serving of them has been waiting on death row for 25 years.
“We demand that the government abide by the law and enforce capital punishment to maintain law and order in our society. We oppose abolishing the death penalty,” said Angela Wang (王薇君), head of a child welfare promotion association.
As the government has not carried out any executions in almost two years, some criminals are getting the impression that they can avoid the death sentence even if they commit murder, Wang said.
Taiwan reserves the death penalty for serious crimes, including aggravated murder, kidnapping and robbery, but politicians are divided about whether to maintain it.
A lingering debate on abolishing the death penalty was renewed recently, particularly after judicial and military authorities came under fire over the execution of a soldier wrongly convicted of murdering a child.
Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶), a 21-year-old serviceman executed in 1997, had insisted he was innocent and that he was coerced by a group of officers into confessing.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
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