The Taiwan High Court yesterday ordered convicted Taipei MRT killer Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) to pay NT$61.39 million (US$1.83 million) in compensation to his victims and the relatives of the people killed in the 2014 attack incident.
If Cheng does not raise an objection to the decision by Taiwan High Court’s Collegiate Bench, then the verdict is final and cannot be appealed, a court statement said.
In addition, a lower court ruling last year ordered him to pay NT$30.91 million in compensation, along with the NT$8.55 million in restitution payments to the families of the four people killed in 2014.
Cheng, then a 21-year-old university student, carried out a knife attack on passengers on Taipei’s MRT system on May 21, 2014, on the Bannan Line between Longshan Temple Station and Jiangzicui Station.
He killed Hsieh Ching-yun (解青雲), Chang Cheng-han (張正翰), Lee Tsui-yun (李翠雲) and Pan Pi-chu (潘碧珠), and injured 22 others.
A number of injured survivors, as well as families and relatives of the four killed, filed a class-action lawsuit against Cheng at the Taiwan High Court, which began hearings on Dec. 16 last year.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in parallel to the criminal proceedings on Cheng’s judicial case, with plaintiffs seeking compensation for the loss of family members, medical treatments, pain and suffering.
During the hearings Cheng said he had no objections and agreed with the amount of compensation demanded by the plaintiffs.
In yesterday’s ruling, the high court ordered Cheng to pay compensation of NT$10 million to the mother of Hsieh, NT$20 million to father of Chang, NT$16 million to Lee Jui-chang (李瑞昌), brother of Lee Tsui-yun, NT$1.8 million to an injured female surnamed Shih (史), NT$2 million to an injured female surnamed Chen (陳), NT$7.29 million to the wife of Hsieh Ching-yun and NT$2.11 million and NT$2.17 million to Hsieh and his wife’s two siblings.
However, there is little chance of plaintiffs receiving any of the compensation, as Cheng’s parents have severed family ties, including moving to an unspecified location and transferring family assets elsewhere, so that Cheng has little money or assets registered under his name.
Lee Jui-chang, who was awarded NT16 million for the death of his sister, yesterday said: “We know that it is impossible to get any money from Cheng. This civil court lawsuit was our way to receive justice. It is for us to close this matter by getting a judicial decision.”
“We sought financial compensation because we want to let Cheng know that he must pay a price for his actions,” he said.
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,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS