Seven people died in a suspected arson attack on an apartment complex in Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) early yesterday.
The fire was reported at about 1am at the three-story building named Cian Bei Tang (前輩堂), which was used as a retreat for followers of the I Kuan Tao (一貫道) religious sect, and which housed 46 residents, the Tainan City Government Fire Bureau said.
Police are questioning a 21-year-old suspect surnamed Tseng (曾), after he called police claiming that he set the blaze.
Married couple Hsieh Chen-yi (謝振益) and Wu Li-ching (吳麗青), and their daughter, whose name was not given by police, were confirmed to have died in the incident. The family was living in the building to care for their daughter, who had a white blood cell disorder, police said.
Hsieh was identified as the younger brother of Tainan juvenile court judge Hsieh Jui-lung (謝瑞龍), who had previously provided counseling to Tseng and had suggested he spend time at a youth retreat for behavioral correction.
A man surnamed Chang (張) who manages Cian Bei Tang said that Hsieh Jui-lung later arranged privately for Tseng to move into the building.
As Tseng experienced emotional extremes, he was often in conflict with other residents of the building, Chang said, adding that other residents attempted to reason with Tseng and help him, but he refused and moved out after one year.
Tseng attempted to move back last year, but tenants rejected the idea on the grounds that he had become more aggressive than before, Chang said.
Tseng said at the time that he would come back and burn the building down, but the residents brushed off the threat as a harmless tantrum, Chang said.
Initial investigations showed that gasoline was used as an accelerant in the fire, which was started by igniting toilet paper in a stairwell between the building’s first and second floors, the bureau said.
The building’s wood construction combined with the presence of numerous combustibles inside the building caused the fire to spread quickly, it said.
Additional reporting by Wang Chieh
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS