An imprisoned serial rapist who made headlines two years ago when he was admitted to National Taiwan University (NTU) has given up his right to enter the prestigious school, a Christian group said yesterday.
The inmate surnamed Yang informed the Christian group of his decision recently in a letter to Huang Ming-chen (黃明鎮), secretary-general of the Christian group dedicated to assisting inmates in repenting their sins and rebuilding their lives.
Yang, who has been denied parole four times over the past two years, said in the letter that a story he read in a book has prompted him to make up his mind to give up his dream to enter NTU.
The story was about a child whose hand inadvertently became stuck in a valuable antique vase. In order to save his hand, his parents broke the vase. They came to find that the child actually had a piece of candy in his hand and that breaking the vase was a result of the child's stubbornness.
"This story inspired me to give up my right to enter NTU. I won't be that child. I won't cause trouble and panic in society any more simply because of my intention to enter the university," he said.
Yang, in his mid-30s, was sentenced on 34 counts of robbery and sexual attack. He was also known as the "Huakang Wolf" because most of the crimes he committed were at Huakang, the campus of the Chinese Culture University on Yangmingshan in suburban Taipei. Yang has served roughly half of his 17-year prison term.
Since Yang passed the hotly contested university entrance examination in the summer of 2001 and got the admission to the NTU's Department of Sociology, the Ministry of Justice's parole board has turned down his appeal for parole four times after extensive consultations with experts who were unable to agree unanimously with the prediction that there is little likelihood he will repeat his crimes.
Public concern over the inmate's release and entry into university has also fueled the parole board's worry that he might not get the acceptance and sympathy which is vital to his successful rehabilitation in the community.
Vice Minister Hsieh Wen-ting (
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
RSS