At an appeal hearing at the Taiwan High Court (台灣高等法院) yesterday the convictions were upheld of a husband and wife pair who hijacked a tourist bus last year. They were sentenced to prison terms of four years and three years and two months respectively.
The couple, Chuang Pao-yun (莊寶雲) and her husband Chang Wen-liang (張文亮), hijacked a tourist bus and held 14 people hostage in Taipei on June 23.
After they were arrested at the scene, Chuang claimed that both she and her husband suffered mental problems. Investigators later discovered that health records about their "mental problems" were fake.
Taiwanese law allows persons who are convicted of a range of criminal offenses, including hijacking, and are deemed to suffer from mental illness, to be detained in mental health institutions rather than prison.
According to the verdict, both Chuang and Chang were convicted of the offense of hijacking a vehicle used for public transportation. Chuang was also convicted of forgery for using a third person's health insurance card and making fake health records to claim that both she and her husband had mental problems.
Under the Criminal Code (刑法), "serious" offenses of hijacking vessels or vehicles used for public transportation is punishable with prison terms not shorter than five years, but "less serious" offenses are punishable with imprisonment not longer than three years.
During their first trial at the Shihlin District Court (士林地方法院) on Nov. 13, Chang was sentenced to five years and Chuang received four years and two months.
Both Chang and Chuang may still appeal to the Supreme Court (
"Usually, it takes 10 business days for court clerks to process the verdict," said Tsai Kuo-tsai (蔡國在), a spokesman for the Taiwan High Court.
"Within 10 days, copies of the verdict will be sent to the defendants. The defendants will have another 10 days, starting from the day after they receive the verdict, to decide whether to appeal or not.
"Once the defendants decide to appeal, the case will be transferred to the Supreme Court," he said.
The spokesman did not explain why Chuang's prison sentence is shorter than her husband's.
On June 23, the couple boarded the Taipei-bound highway bus in Chupei, Hsinchu County, hijacked the bus in Taoyuan County and used a homemade handgun to take the bus driver and 13 passengers hostage, sparking a four-hour confrontation with the police in Taipei City. The offenders and their hostages were unharmed in the incident.
Chang and Chuang had a list of grievances against the government and judiciary. They hijacked the bus to bolster their demand to see Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
To end the standoff, a police SWAT team fired concussion grenades into the bus as Chuang opened the door in an attempt to reach Chen. Officers then stormed the bus and overpowered the hijackers, taking them into custody.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS