Presidential advisor Liu Hsia (
Liu had been in hospital for observation following the incident.
The 61-year-old wheelchair-bound Liu, who was also a well-known writer and advocate of the rights of the underprivileged, died of atrial flutter in the Tri-Service General Hospital at 4am.
"The [alleged beating] incident put too heavy a burden on her heart," said Chang De-ming (張德明), a doctor at the hospital.
Liu's family has decided not to file a lawsuit against the Indonesian caregiver, but the Taipei prosecutors' office has started an investigation of the case to see whether charges should be brought.
Liu's family decided to donate her body for medical research as Liu had wished.
President Chen Shui-bian (
The Indonesian caregiver, identified only by the name Vinarsih, is suspected of suffering from conversion disorder, a psychological affliction caused by severe emotional stress, which makes sufferers to be unable to distinguish between reality and imagination, according to a report from the Mackay Memorial Hospital (
Liu's mother said that Liu had been able to tell her that she had awoken to find herself being dragged from her bed by the caregiver Friday.
According to Taipei County police officials, Vinarsih told the police that she had dreamed of Liu's dead father three times, who told her to help Liu because there was an earthquake. Vinarsih said she tried to wake Liu and carry her to a safer place, but was adamant that she did not beat Liu.
After being told that Liu had died, Vinarsih expressed regret.
Prosecutors yesterday took Vinarsih to Liu's house for further investigation.
Liu Chun-lin (
Liu's younger brother, Liu Kan (
"My sister's death would be worthwhile if the government could set up a safety mechanism to ensure that we are not hiring a wolf, a tiger or a murderer," Liu said in the news conference held at the hospital yesterday morning.
Liu suffered from a rare disease called atrophic arthritis, which is related to rheumatoid arthritis.
The malady had destroyed the function of almost 90 percent of her joints. Despite being forced to lie down most of the time and to use a wheelchair to get around, Liu had written more than 1,000 inspirational short stories and articles under her pen name Xing Lin Tzu (
Surprised by Liu's death, friends and colleagues said that her spirit would be always in their hearts and minds.
"Despite her weak physical condition, her psychological condition was always tough. She was a model for this society," said Sun Yuieh (
The Council of Labor Affairs yesterday said that Vinarsih would be repatriated as she had violated regulations by attacking her employer.
Should Vinarsih she found guilty of murder or involuntary manslaughter, she would be repatriated after serving her prison term.
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
Taiwan must invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to keep abreast of the next technological leap toward automation, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the luanch ceremony of Taiwan AI and Robots Alliance yesterday. The world is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution centered on AI and robotics, which would likely lead to a thorough transformation of human society, she told an event marking the establishment of a national AI and robotics alliance in Taipei. The arrival of the next industrial revolution could be a matter of years, she said. The pace of automation in the global economy can
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,