CRIME
Taiwanese killed in Hungary
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed that a Taiwanese student surnamed Chen (陳) was murdered in Hungary earlier this month, following allegations that she was killed by her Hungarian boyfriend in an apparent murder-suicide. Taiwan’s representative office in Hungary has confirmed the identity of Chen after contacting local police upon learning that a University of Szeged student who was found dead on May 13 could be a Taiwanese national, ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said. The office informed Chen’s parents in Taiwan of her passing and booked flights for them to travel to Vienna on May 16. Hungarian media reports identified Chen as a fourth-year medical student. She was one of the two bodies found by police on May 13 on the first floor of a two-story apartment building. Her boyfriend allegedly shot Chen with his father’s hunting rifle before killing himself with the same weapon, reports said.
SOCIETY
Kids struck by deadwood
Two sisters aged six and eight were on Sunday hospitalized after being struck by deadwood while hiking in Tainan’s Dadongshan mountain resort, the Tainan Fire Department said. Their mother said she heard a loud noise before the piece of deadwood fell on the girls as they walked between her and her husband. The younger sister had swollen eyes, a nosebleed and dizziness, but remained conscious, while the older sister sustained a skull fracture and had a wound at the corner of her mouth, paramedics said. She also showed signs of confusion when she arrived at the foot of the mountain, they said. Their conditions remain stable, hospital personnel said.
SOCIETY
Family accused of abuse
A Taichung woman and her two daughters have been accused of mistreating a live-in Indonesian caregiver, prosecutors said. The caregiver was hired in May last year to look after the woman’s son after he had a stroke. Prosecutors on Tuesday last week charged the woman surnamed Hou (侯), who is in her 70s, and her two daughters surnamed Wen (文), aged 43 and 46, with multiple offenses, including confining the caregiver to the residence, beating her, confiscating her mobile phone and passport, making her work more than 21 hours a day and making illegal deductions from her salary. The alleged abuse was revealed after the caregiver’s labor broker notified the authorities following a visit to the Hou family home, where he noticed bruises on the caregiver’s body, prosecutors said. The broker visited the residence after the caregiver’s husband told him that he had been unable to contact his wife for five months.
CULTURE
Short film earns plaudits
A short animated film by Taiwanese artist Zhang Xu-zhan (張徐展), which integrates similar folk stories from different countries, was well-received by the audience at the Roppongi Art Night in Tokyo on Saturday. Originally adapted from the Southeast Asian folktale The Mousedeer Crosses the River, the 16-minute Compound Eyes of Tropical incorporates elements from Taiwan’s folk culture dance parades and ceremonial festivals to tell the story of how a smart mousedeer tricks a crocodile to cross a river. The film won the Best Animated Short Film award at last year’s Golden Horse Awards. Zhang is also the first Taiwanese artist to be designated as one of the Deutsche Bank Artists of the Year in 2020.
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
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,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
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