A well-known gynecologist was the target of a vicious knife attack late last night at Taipei City's Country Hospital that may have left the victim handicapped for life.
According to police, a man wearing a cap and a mask confronted Dr. Chen Chun-lin (陳俊霖) in a hospital stairwell and slashed the tendon of his left heel with a long knife.
There were no witnesses to the attack, and no videotape of the perpetrator because the hospital's surveillance cameras were not working.
Police said Chen and his family seemed unwilling to provide information about who the attacker might have been. But because the slashing bore the hallmarks of intimidation by an organized crime ring, police believe the family may have been scared into silence.
"Cutting the tendon of someone's heel, but not taking their life, is a traditional gangster's method of warning their enemies, so police are probing whether the victim has offended gangsters," Tsai Wan-lai (
Tsai said police so far have no suspects, but are probing whether the victim had disputes with his patients or bad blood with someone he knew.
Chen has become famous because he often writes medical art-icles for local newspapers and has often appeared on TV shows to talk about women's health care.
Chen bled profusely from the wound, leaving a blood-soaked stairwell behind him as he sought help after the attack. After being treated briefly at his own hospital, Chen was transferred to Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Doctors at that hospital told reporters that Chen was not in mortal danger, that he might become handicapped as a result of his wounds.
Doctors have been targeted by gangsters in the past because they often have disputes with patients and are wealthy.
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