The New Taipei City Police Department early last week detained a couple on charges of fraud, extortion and compulsory indecency.
According to police information, the two suspects, a 35-year-old man named Su Chien-hua (蘇建華) and his 32-year-old wife, Hsu Ya-chu (許雅筑), claimed to be able to see into the future and break the bonds of fate by their own “spell,” which required drawing on female believers’ naked bodies to break curses.
The police said that victims of the two were all women aged between 20 and 30, adding that basic “disciples” had to pay NT$5,000 per month.
“Disciples” favored by self-proclaimed “Dragon King” Su were allowed to take the title “daughters of the Dragon King,” but were required to make a monthly deposit of NT$20,000, the police said, adding that most of these “daughters” were told the effects of the “spell” would be more effective if they slept with Su.
Police quoted Su as saying that, upon returning to Taiwan from a trip to Thailand last year, he dreamed of a white dragon that gave him the spell in exchange for his handsome looks, which is why he is now obese.
The police searched Su’s residence on Tuesday last week and confiscated several ritual items and a computer.
The police said they also found two pieces of paper, on which were written the rules that “daughters” had to abide by and things to take note of when staying at Su’s residence, including stipulations that believers must join a Facebook fan page and like it; forbidding the women to complain about life in general; and the freedom to attend gatherings that were to be held at indeterminate times.
However, the two suspects have continued to deny accusations that they were defrauding their believers and said they were only following the will of the white dragon god.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such