CRIME
Lucifer Chu gets 14 months
The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced media personality Lucifer Chu (朱學恒) to 14 months in prison for indecent assault of a city councilor. Chu was indicted in October last year after being accused of groping and forcibly kissing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-chun (鍾沛君) twice at a Taipei restaurant on Aug. 6, 2022. In June last year, Chung went public with the allegations to be “a fighter rather than a victim.” At Chung’s request and with her attorney present, Chu signed a letter a few days later, apologizing to Chung and promising to stay away from her. However, the letter made no mention of the assault, Chung said. She subsequently filed a complaint against Chu, who she said had shown “no remorse for his behavior.” Chu yesterday expressed regret over the ruling. Saying he had not been given a fair trial to uncover the truth, Chu pledged to appeal as he proclaimed his innocence.
TRANSPORTATION
Danhai line plan revised
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Thursday approved a revised plan for the second phase of the light rail network in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), which is to be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval, the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems said. Construction of the second phase of the Danhai light rail Blue Sea Line is set to be completed within five years of the Cabinet approving the project, the department said. The first phase of the Blue Sea light rail opened in November 2020, and the original plan for the second phase, which is to link Tamsui MRT station with Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭), initially included a section that ran through Tamsui Old Street, department head Lee Cheng-an (李政安) said. However, after taking into account the opinions of residents, the department modified the route and submitted the amended plan to the ministry on Oct. 30, 2020, Lee said, adding that the new plan includes changes to the light rail line to be built alongside the Tamsui River (淡水河). The line is to have six stations once it has been built and extend the operating route of the Danhai light rail to 6.6km, Lee said. It is also expected to link with the proposed Bali light rail line in future, he said.
CRIME
Quincy Davis gets jail time
The Taoyuan District Court on Thursday sentenced US-born Taiwanese basketball player Quincy Davis to 30 days in prison over an altercation with his ex-wife last year. The sentence, which can be commuted to a fine, was imposed because Davis repeatedly denied any wrongdoing during the trial, the court said. Disputes of any kind should be handled rationally, the court said in its ruling, adding that those involved should never resort to physical violence. Davis failed to exercise self-control or respect another person’s physical safety, the ruling said, which can still be appealed. Davis was arrested after an alleged fight with his ex-wife in front of Chingpu Police Station in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) in May last year. The arrest came after it was found that his ex-wife had previously obtained a restraining order against him. At the time, the police did not reveal the details of the altercation, but local media reports said the argument between the two had escalated into “pushing and shoving.” Davis was later released on bail of NT$100,000 after questioning, and was ordered to comply with the restraining order against him.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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