A Chinese cook has pleaded innocent to charges he fatally stabbed the captain and first mate during an argument aboard a Taiwanese fishing vessel.
When asked if he had read the complaint against him and whether he understood the charges, Lei Shi answered, "Yes," through an interpreter during an arraignment hearing on Monday. He did not comment further.
Federal public defender Pamela Byrne entered the innocent plea on Shi's behalf.
The trial was scheduled for Sept. 4 at the request of the attorneys, who asked for more time to prepare because of the complex issues involved in the case, including whether the death penalty will be sought.
US Attorney General John Ashcroft is to decide whether the death penalty would be appropriate.
Shi is accused of stabbing his Taiwanese captain, Chen Sung-she and Chinese first mate, Li Dafeng, during an argument on March 14 before hijacking the ship on the high seas south of Hawaii.
The other crew members later regained control of the ship, Full Means 2 (富名二號), before pulling into Hawaiian waters late last month.
At the arraignment, Byrne asked US Magistrate Kevin S.C. Chang to consider loosening some of the restrictions that have been imposed on Shi since his March 21 arrest.
Byrne said Shi still has not been able to call his family in China and is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours a day without permission to read newspapers, magazines or listen to the radio.
"His confinement has been far more constraining than I think is appropriate," Byrne said.
Byrne asked that Shi, who is being held at a federal detention center near Honolulu International Airport, either be released into the general population or be allowed to read newspapers and magazines.
Chang scheduled a hearing on the matter later this week so he can hear testimony from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
He noted that 30 crew members taken into custody as material witnesses also are being held at the federal detention center and he did not want to risk having Shi come into contact with any of them.
The Full Means 2 remains docked at Honolulu Harbor.
A skeleton replacement crew of Japanese sailors arrived last week and had planned to depart on Sunday when attorneys for the Chinese crew members obtained a federal court order seeking to ensure they are paid past wages.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS