Tainan police yesterday questioned a man named Chen Chih-hsien (陳智賢) in connection with the death of a woman surnamed Chung (鐘), while prosecutors asked a court to place Chen in judicial detention.
Chen, 54, on Tuesday morning visited Chung, 45, and they started to quarrel over gambling debts and other personal issues, prosecutor Chuang Shih-chin (莊士嶔) said.
A preliminary investigation and testimony from acquaintances suggested that the couple had been together for more than a year, but they argued frequently over money and other issues, Chuang said.
Chen told police that he strangled Chung in a fit of anger and, after realizing that he had killed her, tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrists and chest.
He called the 110 emergency hotline in the afternoon to report the incident and emergency responders arrived to find him crouched beside Chung’s body, police said.
Chen probably sat beside Chung’s body close to three hours before making the call, they said.
Prosecutors and coroners yesterday examined Chung’s body and found signs of contusions and abrasions on the neck, indicating the likelihood of death by strangulation, officials said.
It was Chung who took him to underground casinos, where they lost money most of the time and incurred debt, Chen told police, adding that she had demanded that Chen pay them.
Chen also said that he wanted to break up with Chung, but she refused, adding that she had emotional problems.
However, Chung’s family disputed Chen’s account and asked for a thorough investigation.
They said that Chen was a killer who placed the blame on the victim.
Chung’s body was found on the second floor of a building on Tainan’s Dongfong Road, known to be a “house of ill repute,” police said.
They suspect that Chung was operating an illegal brothel at the premises, they added.
The building has a three-decade history as a holdover from what was once the city’s red-light district, but the prostitution business has declined since the early 2000s, losing out to bars, tea houses, karaoke parlors and clubs, some of which allegedly provide illegal sex services, police said, adding that the businesses mostly employ women from China and Southeast Asia.
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
RSS