A German man convicted of drug trafficking in Taiwan was transferred back to his home country on Thursday to serve the remainder of his prison term.
He is the second German national jailed in Taiwan to be transferred to serve the rest of his sentence in his home country since 2013, when the two countries signed an agreement on the transfer of prisoners.
The man was sentenced in 2013 to 16 years in prison and began serving his jail term in Taiwan that same year, a statement released yesterday by the Ministry of Justice said.
After Taiwan and Germany signed the prisoner transfer agreement in November 2013, the inmate filed an application in April 2014 to serve the rest of his prison term in his home country, the ministry said.
His application was approved by the Taiwanese and German judicial authorities after a review of his case, the ministry added.
A German court dealing with the case reduced the original 16-year sentence to 15 years (the maximum term of imprisonment in Germany), the ministry said.
“With the deduction of the time he has served in Taiwan, the man needs to serve about another 12 years in prison after returning to Germany,” the ministry’s statement said.
On Thursday, Taiwanese prosecutors handed the man over to three German police officers, who had traveled to Taiwan to take him back to Germany, it said.
The first transfer of a German prisoner from Taiwan to Germany occurred in February last year.
The transfer of prisoners to their home countries is a humane practice that makes it easier for their family members to visit them and helps them to better integrate back into society upon their release, the ministry said.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS