The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said it would not prosecute student activists who were involved in a heated protest outside the Presidential Office Building in 2013 during which 27 police officers were injured.
On Oct. 10, 2013, Double Ten National Day, student protesters Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) and Dennis Wei (魏揚) protested against President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), whom they claimed had bugged Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng’s (王金平) office as part of a power struggle.
The protesters gathered at a site across from the Presidential Office Building and tried to interrupt the National Day celebration that took place across the street, prosecutors said. The move was prevented by police officers and a violent conflict ensued, as some officers tried to forcibly stop a protester’s car that was heading toward the Presidential Office Building, they added.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
In the aftermath, 27 officers were injured, who later presented certified injury reports that showed their injuries were caused during the fracas with the crowd, the prosecutors’ office said.
The police filed obstructing official business charges against Lin, Chen and Wei, as well as Wang Yueh-shu (王曰舒) — the driver of the car who police said intentionally hit officers — the office said.
However, the prosecutors’ office said that video supplied by the police did not support their allegation that Lin and the others attacked the officers, adding that Wang was driving slowly and did not demonstrate any intent to run into police officers.
The video also showed that Lin had twice negotiated with officers and calmed the crowd, so prosecutors decided that there was insufficient evidence to indict Lin and the others, the office said.
Meanwhile, Lin said on Monday that he would begin his military service tomorrow and would not be discharged until January next year.
Lin said that he had been encouraged to make use of his political leverage for several legislative reforms expected this year. However, he said it would be hard for him to contribute until he had finished his military service, so it would be better for him to meet his obligations as soon as possible.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
Tourism in Kenting fell to a historic low for the second consecutive year last year, impacting hotels and other local businesses that rely on a steady stream of domestic tourists, the latest data showed. A total of 2.139 million tourists visited Kenting last year, down slightly from 2.14 million in 2024, the data showed. The number of tourists who visited the national park on the Hengchun Peninsula peaked in 2015 at 8.37 million people. That number has been below 2.2 million for two years, although there was a spike in October last year due to multiple long weekends. The occupancy rate for hotels
Japanese footwear brand Onitsuka Tiger today issued a public apology and said it has suspended an employee amid allegations that the staff member discriminated against a Vietnamese customer at its Taipei 101 store. Posting on the social media platform Threads yesterday, a user said that an employee at the store said that “those shoes are very expensive” when her friend, who is a migrant worker from Vietnam, asked for assistance. The employee then ignored her until she asked again, to which she replied: "We don't have a size 37." The post had amassed nearly 26,000 likes and 916 comments as of this
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
RSS