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Rapist says he's not as cruel as rapist-murderer

A man convicted of raping more than 30 women more than five years ago was incorrectly described as the "Wolf of Shihlin" (士林之狼) by the Taipei Times and other media on Thursday.

The convict, surnamed Yang, who had made news after gaining admission to National Taiwan University, is known as the "Wolf of Hwakang" (華岡之狼).

Though the rapist has been identified by media before and his name is a matter of public record, the Taipei Times is unwilling to reprint his name in this report.

This paper believes reportage of Yang's past may prejudice society against him, costing him the opportunity to restart his life and depriving him of his human rights.

The "Wolf of Shihlin" is Yu Chien-chung (禹建忠), who raped several women in Taipei and killed at least four of them in 1988. Yu was arrested on Dec. 22, 1988.

Yang, 31, said he was different from Yu because he never killed any of his rape victims. "I am not as evil as people think," he said. "I am not as cruel as the real `Wolf of Shihlin.'"

In November 1996, Yang was sentenced to 16 years in prison for raping more than 30 women, mostly university students in Taipei's Hwakang and Shihlin districts.

Yang recently gained admission to the social work division of the department of sociology at National Taiwan University after passing the Joint College Entrance Examination held in July.

In response to the case, Ministry of Justice officials said that Yang, having served one third of his term, is qualified to apply for parole. The justice ministry is carefully examining his application.

Meanwhile, Ministry of the Interior officials said that all rapists after being released from jail must attend counseling programs for up to three years.

Yang will likely be required to attend counseling before going back to school, as he was strongly obsessed with female college and university students in the past.
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