Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed remorse over the apparent suicide of a writer and alleged victim of sexual assault, saying that the city would improve its handling of such cases.
“[Her] misfortune has been hard on all of us. Tainan [where she grew up] is especially deep in sorrow,” Lai said of the death of the woman surnamed Lin (林), who died on Thursday last week aged 26 in an apparent suicide.
Her parents said they believed an incident that occurred eight or nine years ago — and not depression — was the main cause of their daughter’s suffering.
Lai said he has learned from the criticisms directed at the city over its handling of an investigation into a cram-school teacher accused of assaulting Lin while she was a student.
Lin’s parents on Friday spoke for the third time about the death of their daughter, issuing a statement alleging that three other students were assaulted by the teacher, with one student photographed nude against her will.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said he has been speaking with Lin’s father by telephone in recent days and that he hopes that prosecutors find whoever was responsible for Lin’s alleged assault.
Police urged the family to avoid issuing statements about the case, saying that any comments could have social repercussions and might affect its outcome.
One prosecutor who declined to be named said the lack of motivation shown by investigators has affected the family’s trust in the judicial system.
Additional reporting by Huang Wen-yu
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in