Pop singer Shino Lin (
Police said that Shino Lin hit a woman riding on a scooter on Nanjing E Road in Taipei at around 5am yesterday.
The 41-year-old victim, surnamed Lin, died in hospital from serious injuries.
Police said the victim was a nurse who was on her way to work at a hospital.
As tests showed that Shino Lin had a blood alcohol concentration of 1.1mg per liter, far above the legal limit of 0.55mg, during the time of the accident, she may face charges of involuntary manslaughter and offenses against public safety, police said.
Shino Lin was released yesterday on NT$100,000 (US$3,000) bail.
Although the accident resulted in nurse Lin's death, Shino Lin faces a maximum of only three years in jail under the Criminal Code (刑法), along with a maximum fine of NT$60,000 (US$1,810).
Shino will also have her license revoked, police said.
However, the victim's family may file a civil case against Shino Lin and claim compensation of up to NT$10 million, they added.
Shino Lin was not only driving under the influence, but also without a license, Taipei District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Lin Jinn-tsun (林錦村) said.
Police were unable to question Shino Lin right after the accident because the pop singer was drunk, the spokesman said.
News footage broadcast by FTV, among other TV news stations, showed the family of the victim overcome by grief after seeing the victim's body in hospital.
The TV footage also showed a very distressed Shino Lin, saying: "I am sorry, sorry, I am so sorry," as she left the police station to meet prosecutors.
Shino Lin told reporters she would ask the victim's family to allow her to pay her respects to the deceased.
Shino Lin told police she did not see the victim because it was raining heavily at the time.
The pop singer took part in the rock music festival in Kenting and other rock concerts.
Media reports said Shino Lin used to work as a hostess in pubs before she became a celebrity.
Lin admitted that she had to work in pubs then because she needed the money to support her family.
Additional reporting by CNA
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said. Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense. Former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force general Kiyofumi Ogawa said in a recent speech that the remark has been interpreted as meaning Japan could intervene in the early stages of a Taiwan Strait conflict, undermining China’s previous assumptions
Taiwan Railways Corp (TRC) today announced that Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has been selected as the preferred bidder to operate the Taipei Railway Station shopping mall, replacing the current operator, Breeze Development Co Ltd. Among eight qualified firms that delivered presentations and were evaluated by a review committee, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi was ranked first, while Breeze was named the runner-up, the rail company said in a statement. Contract negotiations are to proceed in accordance with regulations, it said, adding that if negotiations with the top bidder fail, it could invite the second-ranked applicant to enter talks. Breeze in a statement today expressed doubts over