The controversy over the end of the Kaohsiung Prison siege shows no signs of ending as retired coroner Kao Ta-cheng (高大成) reiterated his opinion that four of the inmates were likely “murdered” and did not commit suicide as was stated in the official report.
Kaohsiung Prison Warden Chen Shih-chih (陳世志) has demanded that the former coroner make an apology, or he would sue for compensation for damage to his reputation.
Kao, regarded as the nation’s top forensic expert, has referred to a number of what he described as discrepancies in Chen’s version of the jailbreak attempt and hostage-taking incident two weeks ago.
“Details of what happened as reported by Chen kept on changing. There are lots of questions on what actually took place through the whole chain of events,” Kao said in a lecture at the Tokyo chapter of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance in Japan on Sunday.
“The layout and postures of the six inmates’ bodies did not look like suicide, but display signs of being killed by others. In my estimation, originally, just two inmates plotted the jailbreak, but the other four joined later,” Kao said. “This led to complications for the plot. The four inmates who got involved later on were likely murdered by the others.”
Kao said the outcome seemed to have been the result of help from prison officials.
“Due to the complications, prison officials [might have] told the plot’s two main leaders to ‘solve the problem on their own,’ and so they killed the other four inmates,” Kao said.
His remarks in Tokyo were similar to questions raised in a Next Magazine story published on Tuesday last week and comments Kao made that same day. Kao last week also said that the Ministry of Justice had obtained information that indicated that there were many problems inside the prison and that “lots of things went wrong” at the facility, but he did not elaborate.
Chen said that Kao’s remarks were based on speculation and had tarnished his reputation, forcing him to consider suing Kao.
“I was right there at the scene and witnessed it happening through a glass door. The six inmates took their own lives by firing their [weapons],” Chen said when interviewed by reporters on Monday.
Kao was not at the prison and did not take part in postmortem examinations of the bodies, yet continues to talk to reporters and cast doubt on the events of the siege, Chen added.
“This is all too much. Kao has exceeded the boundary of merely commenting on the news. Therefore, I will assess the situation with my lawyer, and we will consider launching a lawsuit against Kao to seek damages,” Chen said.
On Thursday last week, Chen said he was considering legal actiona gainst the magazine.
Meanwhile, it was reported yesterday that Chen was holding a 9mm handgun when he walked out at the end of the prison drama.
Chen reportedly told journalists at the time that the gun was handed to him by one of the six inmates before they shot themselves. Eyewitnesses said the firearm’s cartridge appeared to be empty, and there were no traces of gunpowder or signs that the gun had been fired recently.
The handgun and other weapons seized in the aftermath of the siege were all handed over to the criminal investigation unit.
When asked about it yesterday, Chen denied having held a gun when he walked out at the end of the siege.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese