A glimmer of hope was brought to a 72-year-old Taiwanese ship captain serving a long prison term for murder after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday it had begun negotiations with Panamanian authorities to repatriate him on humanitarian grounds.
"The Panamanian government, in principle, has agreed to repatriate captain Tuan Mu to Taiwan to serve the remainder of his prison term," Department of Central and South American Affairs Director-General Simon Ko (柯森耀) told a news briefing.
"The ministry has used diplomatic channels to negotiate with the Panamanian government in the hope that captain Tuan Mu can be sent back to Taiwan as soon as possible," Ko said.
STOWAWAYS' DEATHS
Tuan Mu Wei-kai, captain of the Panamanian-registered Taiwanese freighter Well Pescadores, was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 2003 after being convicted of aggravated murder.
He was convicted of leaving several Dominican stowaways on a raft in the Caribbean Sea during a voyage from the Dominican Republic to the US, resulting in the drowning deaths of two of the stowaways.
Upon the ship's arrival in the US, the captain, first mate and several other crew members were detained by US authorities. After it was determined that the crime took place outside of US waters, they were extradited to Panama for trial.
In a letter to his family, Tuan Mu said that his crew had built the raft for the stowaways because they asked to leave the boat for fear that they would be discovered by US authorities. He said he had not known about his crew's plans.
OLDEST INMATE
Tuan Mu is the only Taiwanese serving a sentence in a Panamanian prison. He is also the oldest inmate in the country.
Panamanian law stipulates that Tuan Mu is eligible to apply for parole or to be placed under house arrest because of his age.
Diplomatic relations between Panama and the Republic of China date back to 1909.
However, the two countries have no agreement on repatriating prisoners.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS