The random killing spree on a Taipei MRT train on Wednesday has reignited debate about the death penalty, with a legislator recommending that the perpetrator be put to death.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) suggested revising the law to penalize random killing on public transportation with mandatory death penalty.
“Those who randomly kill should die,” Tsai said on Facebook, in response to the incident in which four people were killed and 23 injured.
“I therefore propose amending Article 271-1 of the Criminal Code to penalize random killers with the death penalty or life in prison, while those who randomly kill on public transportation should be subject to mandatory capital punishment.”
Tsai also proposed amending the Mass Rapid Transit Act (大眾捷運法) to penalize those who carry guns or knives on MRT trains with up to five years in prison, and those who “interrupt” the operations of the MRT system with up to three years in prison.
Taiwan Association for Human Rights chairman Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said that Tsai’s proposal does not make sense and may be unconstitutional.
“Article 271 of the Criminal Code authorizes the judge to decide whether to give a murderer the death penalty, life in prison, or 10 years or more in prison depending on the motivation or number of victims,” said Chiu, a lawyer. “If it is stipulated in the law that random killing on public transportation systems can only be penalized by death, it would be taking away the judge’s right to make an independent judgement based on the different circumstances in each case.”
Chiu added that, in principle, laws should be applied to all cases, not to one particular case.
“[Tsai’s] proposal to amend the law for a particular case may be unconstitutional,” Chiu said.
The killings have also reignited debate over whether capital punishment should be abolished.
Speaking to reporters, the son of Pan Pi-chu (潘碧珠), one of the victims in Wednesday’s attack, challenged members of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) whether they would still support abolishing the death penalty if their families were murdered as his mother was.
His remarks soon triggered a heated debate on the Internet, with supporters of the death penalty saying that such random murderers should be penalized by death, while opponents argued that capital punishment has not helped to lower the crime rate — especially as the MRT incident happened not long after the execution of five death row inmates.
In a press statement, the TAEDP said that, while it also believes that criminal offenders should be responsible for their actions, “the killings on the Taipei MRT just proves that the death penalty does not stop crime.”
“In fact, from 2006 to 2009, when there was a de facto suspension of the death penalty in Taiwan, the crime rate steadily dropped, which shows that the suspension of executions would not make security worse,” the statement said.
“If media reports that the suspect killed because he wanted to be executed are true, the death penalty is ironically one of the reasons that triggered the crime,” it said.
“Killing does not stop killing; hate only incites more hate; the government should remember this lesson and stop dodging its responsibility [to lower the crime rate] by resorting to executions,” the statement said.
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