A new autopsy report on the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘), released by the military-affiliated Tri-Services General Hospital (TSGH) in Taipei on Monday, has cast doubt on earlier findings by the court-appointed forensic doctor, Shih Tai-ping (石台平).
The report by the hospital concluded that the effects of heat exhaustion accumulated over several days, leading to Hung’s death.
The Taiwan High Court mandated that the hospital carry out the report, because Hung’s family appealed the first ruling by a lower court.
According to the latest autopsy report, Hung was taken to a solitary confinement room on June 28 last year, where military officers forced him and other conscripts under confinement to perform severe physical exercise drills as punishment.
As Hung was punished with the physical drills daily, performed in hot and humid conditions, his body overheated.
This overheating accumulated over several days and led to heat exhaustion that was not properly treated, and the continual physical drills eventually resulted in his death from heatstroke and multiple organ failure, the report said.
The report also identified other factors contributing to the corporal’s death, including Hung’s body having a high BMI (body mass index), lack of rest, the high number of physical drill sessions and the conditions of the confinement room.
The initial coroner report by Shih said the heat exhaustion and its effects on the body did not accumulate, thus leading to the conclusion that Hung’s death by heatstroke was “an accident.”
The 24-year-old was serving in the army’s 542nd Armored Brigade in Hsinchu County. He died on July 4 last year while detained in the unit’s solitary confinement room, where he was subjected to several days of physical drills.
The case sparked widespread public outrage and protests were held against the military over perceived widespread abuse by commanding officers against conscripts and over the army’s attempt to cover up the cause of death to protect the officers who ordered the excessive punishment.
After the release of the new report, the court sent an official request to the Ministry of National Defense for details of the 542nd Brigade confinement room’s conditions.
Judicial officials said they are still waiting for the ministry to reply, and the court will have another hearing on the case on Nov. 3.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
The New Taipei City Social Welfare Department on Thursday celebrated Paralympic competitor Chen Tzu-wei (張孜維), who received last year’s national Golden Eagle award for exemplary achievement by Taiwanese with disabilities. Chen, who suffers from childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, did not attend the first award ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in November due to illness. Chen was formally presented with the award at the department, where he gave thanks to government workers for supporting his education and livelihood, the department said in a statement. Chen was raised by the Ai-hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in the city’s Bali District (八里)
RSS