A Vietnamese woman surnamed Nguyen found guilty of arson has been sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison, and is to be deported after serving her sentence, the Changhua District Court ruled.
Nguyen set fire to a motel room in November last year, and was found squatting near the source of the fire when firefighters arrived, court documents showed.
The incident was the latest of several that occurred involving Nguyen, the documents showed.
Photo: Taipei Times
Nguyen moved to Taiwan for marriage 20 years ago, but later got a divorce.
Seven years ago, she was sentenced to 20 days of detention after she poured gasoline on her then-boyfriend.
Two years ago, she stabbed a friend during a fight and was sentenced to three months in prison, the documents showed, adding that Nguyen declined the option to commute the sentence to a fine, apparently as she was unable to pay.
During the trial for the arson incident, Nguyen denied setting the fire, claiming that it might have been caused by accident when she was smoking. However, the judge, citing evidence, said that the curtains, extension cords and other debris would not have been piled up in the first place, apparently for the purpose of arson.
The court documents also showed that Nguyen had previously been involved in arson. In May last year, Nguyen was at her boyfriend surnamed Liu’s (劉) home in Changhua County’s Erlin Township (二林) when a fire broke out in Liu’s bedroom. In that incident as well, when firefighters arrived they found Nguyen squatting near where the fire started.
Nguyen appeared to have been motivated by anger, because she could not see her sons from a previous marriage and because of her poor financial situation, the judge said.
During the trial, the Changhua District Court asked Changhua Christian Hospital to conduct a psychiatric evaluation of Nguyen. The assessment report said that Nguyen was normal at the time of the incident.
The judges in both the first and second rulings had deliberated on whether to have Nguyen deported, out of concern over contravening the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The High Court judge in the second ruling summoned Nguyen’s two adult sons, but they were unwilling to testify and did not comment on whether they felt their mother should be permitted to stay in Taiwan.
The judge said that given the lack of contact between Nguyen and her sons, she had very weak ties to family in Taiwan.
The judge added that Nguyen appeared to be completely unaware of the seriousness of the two arson attacks.
The court believed she had no chance of integrating into Taiwanese society and ruled that she be deported after serving her sentence or if she obtains a pardon.
Taiwan must first strengthen its own national defense to deter a potential invasion by China as cross-strait tensions continue to rise, multiple European lawmakers said on Friday. In a media interview in Taipei marking the conclusion of an eight-member European parliamentary delegation’s six-day visit to Taiwan, the lawmakers urged Taipei to remain vigilant and increase defense spending. “All those who claim they want to protect you actually want to conquer you,” Ukrainian lawmaker Serhii Soboliev said when asked what lessons Taiwan could draw from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Soboliev described the Kremlin as a “new fascist Nazi regime” that justified
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
‘T-DOME’: IBCS would increase Taiwan’s defense capabilities, enabling air defense units to use data from any sensor system and cut reaction time, a defense official said A defense official yesterday said that a purported new arms sale the US is assembling for Taiwan likely includes Integrated Battle Command Systems (IBCS). The anonymous official’s comments came hours after the Financial Times (FT) reported that Washington is preparing a US$20 billion arms sale encompassing “Patriot missiles and other weapons,” citing eight sources. The Taiwanese official said the IBCS is an advanced command and control system that would play a key role in President William Lai’s (賴清德) flagship defense program, the “T-Dome,” an integrated air defense network to counter ballistic missiles and other threats. The IBCS would increase Taiwan’s
NOMINAL NEWLYWEDS: A man’s family and his wife — his long-term caregiver — are engaged in a legal dogfight over the propriety and validity of the recent union A centenarian’s marriage to his caregiver unbeknownst to his children has prompted legal action, as the caregiver accuses the man’s children of violating her personal liberty and damaging her reputation, while the children have sought a legal option to have the marriage annulled. According to sources, the 102-year-old man surnamed Wang (王) lives in Taipei’s Zhongshan District (中山) and previously worked as a land registration agent. Wang reportedly owns multiple properties and parcels of land worth several hundred million New Taiwan dollars and has ten children. His caregiver, a 69-year-old surnamed Lai (賴), has been caring for him since about 1999,
RSS