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Nation's foremost forensic scientist dies from cancer

A pioneer in the development of the forensic science in Taiwan has died of liver cancer at the age of 52, the National Police Administration (NPA) said yesterday.

Wong Ching-hui (翁景惠), director of the Forensic Science Center of the NPA's Criminal Investigation Bureau, died at National Taiwan University Hospital at midnight Sunday.

Wong was sworn in as the first director of the bureau's newly upgraded Forensic Science Center in February. Before then, the bureau had only a division for forensics.

Mourning Wong's sudden death, bureau Chief Secretary Kao Cheng-sheng (高政昇) said that Wong had contributed much to the upgrading of forensic science in Taiwan over the past decades.

"His death was a great loss to our nation," he said.

Kao said Wong outlined a blueprint for raising the nation's forensic sciences to international standards.

"I hope his successor will lead the Forensic Science Center staff to accomplish Wong's unfulfilled goal," he added.

Wong, who had a master's degree in criminology from Central Police University, once studied forensic science with Dr. Henry Lee (李昌鈺), a world-renowned Chinese-American scientist.

During his 28-year career, Wong participated in investigations into a number of major criminal cases, including the murder of former Taoyuan County Magistrate Liu Pang-you (劉邦友) and his eight close aides, the rape and murder of women's-rights activist Peng Wan-ju (彭婉如) and the kidnap-murder of the teenage daughter of entertainer Pai Ping-ping (白冰冰). He also helped with the identification of victims in several domestic air crashes.

In addition, Wong wrote several books about the examination of gunshot wounds and blood stains as well as writing about crime-scene reconstruction.
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