Ninety-eight victims of a 2015 explosion and fire during a party at Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park in New Taipei City have been awarded NT$405 million (US$13.25 million) in a civil case against the party’s organizers.
The Shilin District Court yesterday ordered the payout from party organizers Color Play Creative International Co and Ruibo International Integrated Marketing Co and their head, Lu Chung-chi (呂忠吉).
The compensation was less than the NT$2.6 billion sought by the plaintiffs, who were represented by the Consumers’ Foundation.
Photo: CNA
The foundation said in a statement that it planned to appeal the ruling, citing disappointment with the compensation package and that the water park and its management were not found liable.
The foundation is also leading a NT$7.2 billion class action suit on behalf of 337 other victims of the dust explosion and ensuing fire, which is also being heard at the Shilin District Court.
The cases relate to a blast at the now-defunct Formosa Fun Coast water park on June 27, 2015, when colored cornstarch powder used for party effects exploded and burst into flames, killing 15 people and injuring nearly 500.
Lu was found guilty of professional negligence leading to death in connection to the blast and sentenced to five years in prison, which he began serving in 2019.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
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
RSS