Indonesian prosecutors have requested the death penalty for eight Taiwanese allegedly involved in a drug smuggling operation last year.
Tipped off by Taiwanese police, Indonesian police intercepted a record 1 tonne haul of crystal methamphetamine imported from China during a raid in Anyer Beach, west of Jakarta, on July 13 last year.
During the operation, Indonesian police killed a Taiwanese man alleged to be the kingpin of the drug ring, after he refused to surrender, and arrested three others, identified as Chen Wei-cyuan (陳威全), Liao Guan-yu (廖冠宇) and Hsu Yung-li (徐勇立).
Five more Taiwanese were on July 15 arrested by Indonesian police in connection with the case.
While Chen, Liao and Hsu were responsible for taking delivery of the drugs in Indonesia, the other five were responsible for shipping the drugs to Indonesia on a Taiwanese cruise ship, Indonesian prosecutor Abun Hasbullah said.
Hsu was hired to pick up the drugs in Indonesia in exchange for 120 million rupiah (US$8,400), while Liao and Chen each got 80 million rupiah for unloading and packaging the drugs, Abun told a court hearing on Wednesday, during which he asked that the eight be sentenced to death.
In similar cases in the past, people convicted of trafficking more than 1kg of methamphetamine have usually been given death sentences. As part of its war on drugs, the Indonesian government is increasing the severity of punishments, especially for foreigners.
According to information from the Indonesian government, 11 Taiwanese suspects have been sentenced to death in drug trafficking cases over the past few years, while five others have been killed during police operations.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS