A man sentenced to life in prison has qualified for parole after serving 10 years and passing the entrance exam for the sociology department of National Taiwan University, a Ministry of Justice official said yesterday.
The case has led social critics to draw parallels to the recent parole application by the "Hwakang Wolf" a serial rapist who also wanted to enroll in the school's sociology department.
Sources said yesterday that the new parolee, surnamed Hwang, was expected to gain his freedom and study at the prestigious university.
The Taipei Times follows the convention of the Taiwanese media of not providing Hwang's full name -- although it is matter of public record -- for fear of prejudicing his chances of rehabilitation.
Hwang's crime is related to robbery, but no further details were released.
A ministry official said Hwang shouldn't have any problems with his parole application. The official said prisoners who qualify for parole and who have been accepted by a university are almost certain to be released.
Chen Tung-sheng (陳東升), chairman of NTU's sociology department, said yesterday that if Hwang's parole application is granted by the justice ministry, the department would welcome him.
"The department and most of the students are well aware of the possible admission of this convict and we give the inmate credit for the sincerity of his desire to make a new start in life," Chen said.
"We welcome his coming as long as he gets paroled," Chen said.
When asked if the department was setting a double standard in receiving Hwang without much fuss while being reluctant to accept the "Hwakang Wolf," Chen said the two cases were different.
"The reason students were making a fuss over the possible arrival of the `Hwakang Wolf' is because he was a serial rapist," Chen said.
"The department had to take the students' anxiety into account," he added.
The Justice Ministry's rejection of the "Wolf's" application for parole means he will spend at least one more year in jail.
But for most inmates awaiting parole, gaining entrance to an university is almost a sure way out.
This year, 38 prisoners registered for the Joint College Entrance Exam.
Thirty-three passed and now wait for their parole applications to be approved. Most are serving sentences ranging from 14 years to life in prison.
"There are different `due days' for prisoners to qualify for parole," the ministry official said.
"Generally, for the 33 inmates who have passed the exam, if the end of their minimum time served is before August, it's possible for them to [start their studies in the fall]. However, no final decisions have yet been made," he said.
The official said authorities were more than happy to provide the convicts with a chance to receive a better education.
"However, the Ministry of Justice considers every case quite seriously because we do not wish to release them when they are not ready, when we are not ready."
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