Prosecutors yesterday requested jail terms of up to five years for Launch Technologies Co chairman Liu An-hao (劉安皓) and five other executives for their roles in a factory fire in September 2023 that killed 10 people and injured more than 100.
The Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Liu, general manager Lu Ying-cheng (呂英誠) and four others on charges including involuntary manslaughter and negligence leading to injury.
Prosecutors are seeking the maximum prison sentence of five years for Liu and Lu, citing a disregard for worker safety, including having employees work in a dangerous workplace in which they were constantly under pressure.
Photo: Lee Li-fa, Taipei Times
Liu and Lu failed to prepare safety data displays of information on hazardous chemical products in the workplace, prosecutors said, adding that after the fire the two made excuses and tried to avoid responsibility by blaming others.
The office recommended jail terms of four years and eight months, or four years and 10 months for the other four executives.
The blaze and subsequent explosions at the golf ball factory last year were triggered by 3 tonnes of highly combustible organic peroxides used to manufacture golf ball cores, the office said.
The substance was illegally stored, it said.
Regulations stipulate that the factory was only allowed to have up to 100kg of organic peroxides on site and it had to be stored at ambient temperatures of under 30°C, it said.
Poor storage conditions likely led to the uncontrolled decomposition of the organic compounds, and resulted in the fire and explosions, prosecutors said.
The blaze occurred at the company’s factory at the Pingtung Technology Industrial Park on Sept. 22 last year.
Four firefighters were among those who died, with 14 firefighters among those who were injured.
Advanced International Multitech (VN) Co, the parent company of Launch Technologies, said it “respected” the office’s decision and had reached settlements with many of the people injured in the fire or the families of those who died.
It has set up a NT$500 million (US$16.05 million) trust fund for payments to employees who were affected and the families of those who died, it said.
As of Monday, it had spoken with 129 people affected and reached settlements in 89 cases, with payments so far totaling about NT$240 million, it said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
RSS