The family of a Miaoli County official, who was found dead in a harbor late last month, say they suspect he was murdered and had not committed suicide as prosecutors seem to think.
The body of Lai Shao-pen (賴紹本), director of the Land Office of Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township (竹南), was found floating in the township’s Longfong Harbor (龍鳳漁港) early on May 31.
Investigators found Lai’s unlocked car parked at the harbor with a note inside written by Lai. The note was addressed to his wife, asking her to take care of his mother and their children.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) yesterday held a press conference, asking investigators not to conclude too soon that the 61-year-old had committed suicide.
Lai’s wife and his younger sister said at the press conference that many family members and friends did not believe he committed suicide because he had not exhibited any signs of a desire to end his life, saying they suspected Lai might have been murdered because of land affairs for which he had been responsible.
Lai’s younger sister, Lai Pei-fang (賴佩坊), said the handwriting on the note her brother left was scratchy and contained several errors, which seems to indicate someone forced him to write the note.
She said a surveillance camera near Lai Shao-pen’s car would have filmed his activities before his death, but oddly the camera’s direction was changed before the incident.
She added that investigators traced her brother’s cellphone location to Zaociao Township (造橋) after his body was found, which is more than 10km from the harbor, indicating that someone had taken the cellphone.
Lai Shao-pen’s wife said he was set to retire this month and had planned to travel abroad with her. She added that they had a good relationship and that her husband was not ill or had financial problems. The evening before he died, she said, he was in a good mood when talking with the family about decorating one of their children’s homes.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS