The New Taipei City Government yesterday said it would provide administrative and legal assistance to a Banciao District (板橋) preschool for losses associated with an alleged drugging scandal after prosecutors on Wednesday closed a probe into the school, citing a lack of evidence.
The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday said that with hair follicle tests of 36 children finding no traces of sedatives, there were insufficient grounds to pursue criminal charges against nine of the preschool’s staff members for allegedly drugging students.
There were also inconsistencies in the children’s testimonies before and after questioning, they said.
Photo: Huang Tsu-yang, Taipei Times
After cross-referencing surveillance footage from March 1 to April 15 with written consent forms and medical records, it was found that school staff had not improperly administered medication to students, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said that they would also not be pursuing charges over allegations that the school had used corporal punishment on 13 children after interviews and surveillance footage provided insufficient evidence of such activity.
The New Taipei City Government yesterday said that it would revoke the administrative sanctions it imposed on the preschool and contact its principal to provide legal assistance if it wishes to seek redress.
The city government had revoked the preschool’s license on June 12 and fined it NT$150,000 on the basis of complaints from parents that their children had been given sedatives.
The city government could have been better in sharing information with the parents of the children and in an attempt at improvement, it is reviewing its measures, New Taipei City Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen (張明文) told a news conference.
It had also underestimated the impact of the issue’s politicization and how information was being handled, causing distrust between the public and school staff, New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-jan (劉和然) said, adding that the city is looking at how it could have handled the issue better, and working to mend trust between parents and the school.
At a separate news conference, a teacher at the Banciao school surnamed Ho (何) said that while justice would clear their names, no one has given them justice.
New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) and Taiwan Children’s Rights Association director-general Wang Wei-chun (王薇君) rendered judgement before there was a trial, Ho said, adding that both should issue a public apology or she would take them to court.
Claire Wang said that she had never openly accused or implicated anyone, adding that she respected the results of the judicial investigation.
Claire Wang said she wanted to help parents find the truth and protect them from further harm, adding that she would shoulder all responsibility if her acts have caused distress for others.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS