As the investigation into the murder of a young Hong Kong woman who came to Taiwan for a vacation last month continues, police officers yesterday said her autopsy results indicated she might have been strangled.
The body of 20-year-old Poon Hiu-wing (潘曉穎) was recovered yesterday morning from an overgrown field just outside Zhuwei (竹圍) MRT station in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水).
Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested Poon’s boyfriend, 20-year-old Hong Kong college student Chan Tung-kai (陳同佳), media reports said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Poon and Chan arrived in Taiwan on Feb. 8 for a holiday and to spend Valentine’s Day together, Taipei police said.
The couple visited several places and on Feb. 13 checked into the Purple Garden Hotel in Taipei.
Chan checked out of the hotel alone on Feb. 17 and returned to Hong Kong that night, they said.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook
Investigators believe the pair got into an argument, and suspect that Chan, in a fit of anger, strangled Poon, stuffed her body inside a pink suitcase and disposed of it outside Zhuwei MRT Station.
Surveillance cameras show Chan towing a pink suitcase on the morning of Feb. 17 and taking the MRT to the station, where police believe he disposed of her body and abandoned the luggage at another location.
Video footage shows Chan returning to the hotel in the evening without the suitcase, and then checking out.
Poon’s parents filed a missing person’s report with Hong Kong authorities.
Hong Kong police found that Chan had used Poon’s bank card to withdraw money on two occasions, on Feb. 17 in Taiwan and on Feb. 20 in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong police have begun negotiations with Taiwanese authorities to transfer Chan to Taipei for investigation.
As Hong Kong and Taiwan do not have an extradition treaty, Hong Kong media have quoted officials as saying that the negotiations might take some time, because a special provisional bill might be needed for an extradition request, which has to be approved by the territory’s Legislative Council.
Police and investigators yesterday went to the hotel where the couple had stayed to search for possible evidence.
Chan has reportedly confessed to Hong Kong police that he killed Poon and has told them where he disposed of her body.
Local media reports said that Poon’s father, who came to Taiwan to ask the police to look for his daughter, was distraught as he was accompanied by officials to a Taipei morgue to see her body and wait for autopsy results.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS