The parents of the suspect in the stabbing spree on Taipei’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system last week appeared outside Jiangzicui (江子翠) Station yesterday afternoon to apologize to the families of the victims for the losses that their son had caused them.
Four people were killed and 23 injured in the incident on Wednesday last week and 21-year-old university student, Cheng Chieh (鄭捷), was detained in connection with the stabbings.
Taiwanese tradition dictates that the families of the dead pay tribute to them on the seventh day after their deaths, when it is believed that their spirits will return to their families and loved ones.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Cheng’s parents issued a written statement apologizing for their son’s alleged actions on Friday last week, which New Taipei City Councilman Lin Kuo-chun (林國春) read out for them.
However, they were criticized by victims’ family members and others for not making the apology in person to the families.
Surrounded by a scrum of police, journalists and photographers, Cheng’s parents tearfully knelt and bowed to the public outside the station yesterday afternoon, asking for forgiveness.
Photo: Chen Wei-tsung, Taipei Times
“We are Cheng Chieh’s parents. Today is the seventh day. Please forgive us for not being able to pay our respects to the families of the victims. We are ordinary people and do not have ways to find out the information [about the families]. We can only do that [pay respects] later if we have the chance. We really do not know what to do after spending these past few days in torment,” Cheng’s father said.
“We deeply apologize to the victims and the injured for the horrendous crime committed by Cheng Chieh,” the father said.
“He is our child, and his actions have caused unbearable pain to the families of the victims. As his parents who love him, we are utterly disappointed with and have lost faith in him. We have tasted the bitterness of a broken family,” the father said.
Given the severity of the crime, prosecutors are likely to seek the death penalty in the case, he said, adding that this was the consequence his son should face.
“My heart is in pain, but I hope that the judge will quickly put Cheng on trial and rule on the case, and by doing so, give some consolation to the victims,” he said.
“As the parents who raised Cheng for 21 years, we must have made mistakes that we were not aware of. Nevertheless, we have no excuse,” he said. “We hope that Cheng Chieh will be a good man in his next life.”
Family members of 52-year-old Pan Pi-chu (潘碧珠) and 28-year-old Hsieh Ching-yun (解青雲) — both killed in the attack — said that Cheng’s parents should personally pay homage to the victims at their homes, not just in front of the media.
However, the parents of another victim, 26-year-old Chang Cheng-han (張正翰), rejected the idea, saying such a gesture was meaningless and would not bring their son back.
“His [Cheng Chieh] parents did not teach him well and he eventually became society’s problem. Society has paid a great price for his deed,” Chang’s mother said. “This shows that family education is important.”
Meanwhile, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) held a five-minute-long silence to mourn the victimsat all MRT stations that began at 4:26pm, which is the time the stabbing rampage started.
Words of mourning were displayed on the monitors inside the stations.
“May 21, 2014 was the saddest day in our Metro’s history. Let’s mourn for the loss of lives, pray for those who were injured and strive for a peaceful society. May the Heavens bless Taiwan,” the company said.
In other developments, TRTC general manager Tan Gwa-guang (譚國光) said the families of the four people killed would receive a total of NT$1.6 million (US$53,000) from the company, in addition to NT$4 million from the passenger insurance policies bought by TRTC.
The company would hire attorneys to assist the families seeking indemnifications, and it would cover the costs of both civil and criminal lawsuits, he said.
The MRT cars where the stabbings occurred will not be returned to service until they have undergone spiritual cleansing, he said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique