■ POLITICS
Zhang ‘pusher’ sentenced
Tainan District Court yesterday sentenced Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Tainan City Councilor Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) to four months in prison for assaulting Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Vice Chairman Zhang Mingqing (張銘清) last October. Wang was convicted of inciting supporters to use violence against Zhang during the Chinese official’s visit to Taiwan. He was charged with intimidation and assault, with prosecutors suggesting a 14-month jail sentence. Six other defendants were also convicted of assault and given prison or detention sentences of less than four months. Wang insists he is innocent because protesting is a democratic right, and a videotape of the incident showed he did not come into direct contact with Zhang. The prison term is convertable to a fine.
■ CRIME
MOJ seeks Sun’s money
The Ministry of Justice’s Administrative Enforcement Agency is seeking payment from Jack Sun (孫道存), the former chairman of Pacific Electric Wire and Cable, who owes an estimated NT$300 million (US$10 million) in taxes. Sun’s extravagant lifestyle was in the spotlight recently when he married a woman much young than himself and showered her with expensive gifts. Sun paid NT$100 million of the debt yesterday with money he borrowed from a bank, and named his daughter Amy Sun (孫芸芸) as a guarantor. However, the agency said much of Amy Sun’s assets have already been mortgaged, so she was ineligible to serve as a guarantor. The agency has demanded that Jack Sun pay the remaining NT$200 million within the next six months.
■ CRIME
Lovelorn attacker nabbed
A 22-year-old Taiwanese man who allegedly stabbed a nurse during a bungled robbery last week has been arrested after returning to the scene of the crime to profess his love for her, Miaoli City police said yesterday. The man stabbed the 18-year-old once in the back but decided against robbing her when she begged him not to take her belongings. He then escorted her to hospital. “When I noticed how lovely you look, I changed my mind … I hope I have a chance to apologize to you and compensate you. Please contact me,” he wrote in a love note, police said. After leaving the message on the nurse’s motorbike, he waited for the victim to return. She did, accompanied by police officers, who promptly arrested him.
■ SOCIETY
Military relief work a boon
The armed forces may earn greater public respect by engaging in disaster relief operations, C.V. Chen (陳長文), president of the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China, said on Sunday. Chen said the huge budget to buy weaponry such as US-made Apache attack helicopters was a waste. “Valuable financial resources should not be used to acquire weapons we would seldom use. The funds would be better spent on social services, education, medical care and the judiciary.” he said. It was not unusual to deploy the military for rescue work, Chen said, citing Japan sending its troops to help with the rescue and relief operations after the 1996 Kobe earthquake. “Taiwan may not necessarily face wars in the future, but it is sure to encounter other disasters, and the armed forces will have opportunities to put their rescue and relief skills to use.” Chen said. The goal of the military is to protect the public and their property, and by joining disaster relief operations, the military can achieve its purpose and earn public respect, he said.
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