A man with one drunk driving fatality convivtion was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly causing a fatal traffic accident in Keelung while intoxicated.
The suspect, surnamed Lee (李), 30, is thought to have deviated into coming traffic, slamming his car into a motorcycle ridden by a man surnamed Lin (林), 18, resulting in a head-on collision, Baifu (百福) Police Station chief Lin Wen-hsiu (林文修) said.
“The victim sustained severe injuries and was pronounced dead at a local hospital,” the police chief said. “The suspect’s car was also damaged and he tried to flee the scene, but was caught by officers with the help of witnesses.”
Lee had a blood alcohol level of 0.66 milligrams per liter (mg/L), well above the legal limit of 0.15 mg/L, police said.
Prosecutors intend to charge Lee for offenses against public safety and negligence leading to death, they said.
Three years ago, Lee was convicted of causing the death of a woman in New Taipei City while driving drunk, prosecutors said.
Despite being a repeat offender, a local court yesterday granted Lee release on NT$200,000 bail.
The victim’s family said they were outraged after finding out Lee served only a three-month prison term for his prior convictions, and that he had been granted bail.
“It is absurd... The suspect is a repeat drunk driving offender and has caused two deaths, but the judiciary still granted him release on only NT$200,000 bail,” the victim’s uncle said.
“It is very painful for our family. Lin was a good kid and he had a bright future and was planning a military career. The driver destroyed a happy family,” he added.
“The punishment is too lenient for drunk drivers who cause fatal accidents. The courts only give them light sentences. We urge the judiciary to hand out more severe penalties,” the uncle said.
His nephew had been in the military for three months, his uncle said, adding that the youth was home to visit family when the accident happened because he had a few days leave over the new year period.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it