The Supreme Court on Wednesday approved the provisional seizure of NT$507 million (US$15.75 million) in assets of the chairman and top executives of the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙樂園) water park, where a dust explosion last year killed 15 and injured 508 people.
The joint motion was filed by 39 people injured at the water park in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里) in a bid to claim financial compensation for medical expenses, earnings loss due to injuries and physical disabilities.
The total amount was based on the 39 victims’ claims of NT$13 million each against Formosa Fun Coast chairman Chen Po-ting (陳柏廷) and the park’s senior executives.
The original motion was approved by the Shilin District Court, but Chen and the park’s executives filed an appeal, saying that a separate lawsuit on the dust explosion disaster had acquitted them of responsibility in the case.
They cited a court ruling that did not find the company professionally negligent, as it had rented out the water park’s swimming pool area to event organizer Lu Chung-chi (呂忠吉) and Color Play Co (玩色創意) for the “Color Play Asia” party on June 27 last year, which turned into a deadly dust explosion.
They contended that Lu, as the event organizer, was responsible for the disaster, saying his negligence created dangerous conditions for attendees, who paid NT$1,500 each to participate in the event, and that he failed to meet fire safety requirements.
In the first ruling on the case on April 26, the Shilin District Court found Lu guilty of professional negligence, sentencing him to four years and 10 months in prison.
Most victims and their families expressed anger over the decision, saying the punishment for Lu was too lenient. Lu’s lawyers said it was too severe and filed an appeal.
A separate motion for provisional seizure of NT$170 million in assets filed by 13 victims against the water park and its executives in July last year had earlier been approved by the court.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
RSS