Taichung judges yesterday ordered the detention of a gangster who is believed to have been the mastermind in the murder of gangster Weng Chi-nan (翁奇楠) late last month.
Yang Ding-jung (楊定融) was repatriated to Taiwan on Saturday following his arrest at China’s Xiamen Airport.
Taichung District Court Judge Chang Kuo-chung (張國忠) said that because the crime Yang was believed to have been involved in was severe and because he could conspire with other suspects or destroy evidence if he were free, the court chose to detain him.
In addition, with Liao Kuo-hao (廖國豪), the alleged gunman, still on the run, holding Yang in custody could help the investigation.
Chang Yu-hao (張育豪), another suspect who was arrested on Saturday, was released on bail, although prosecutors wanted him to remain in custody, Chang Kuo-chung said.
The evidence did not prove that Chang Yu-hao drove the gunman to the crime scene and drove him away afterward, the judge said.
Police claim that both Chang Yu-hao and Liao, 18, were gangsters under Yang and suspected Yang ordered the pair to carry out the murder.
Police believe Yang hired Liao to kill Weng on May 28 and that he left for Xiamen the same day.
Chang Kuo-chung said Yang denied any involvement in the murder.
Police said they were able to contact Yang’s family and Yang in Xiamen, urging Yang to return to Taiwan to report to police.
Taiwanese police officers seized Yang at Xiamen Airport, Taipei police said.
Taiwanese media have raised questions as to why Yang turned himself in, as he was suspected of being a middleman, with more senior gangsters behind the murder.
Police also denied reports that Liao died after the murder.
The murder shook the nation’s police system after it was discovered that four Taichung police officers were playing mahjong and drinking tea as the gunman walked into Weng’s office and shot him.
Police have since established that as many as 10 police officers had been in Weng’s office at one point, suggesting ties between Taichung police and gangsters.
Former Taichung police commissioner Hu Mu-yuan (胡木源) and several senior Taichung police officers were removed from their posts or disciplined over the scandal.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS