The son of the chairman of one of Taiwan’s most prominent Matsu (媽祖) temples was on Saturday ordered detained and held incommunicado after dozens of men allegedly attacked and injured the temple’s former chairwoman at her home in Yunlin County.
Tsai Chin-tsai (蔡晉財), the 22-year-old son of Yunlin County Council Deputy Speaker and Beigang Chaotian Temple (北港朝天宮) chairman Tsai Yung-te (蔡??), was ordered detained at prosecutors’ request following the alleged attack on former legislator Tseng Tsai Mei-tso (曾蔡美佐) on Thursday.
The incident occurred at about 4am, when dozens of men wearing white T-shirts allegedly broke into Tseng Tsai’s home, knocked the 80-year-old down and assaulted her son.
Photo: Lee Wen-te, Taipei Times
Tseng Tsai, who sustained a fractured vertebra in the incident, said in an interview from the hospital that she had just returned home after preparing for that day’s Matsu procession when the men barged into her home shouting her name.
Some of the men immediately “began hitting people,” while others used baseball bats to smash windows or picked up potted plants and other objects to hurl at her home, she said.
Tseng Tsai, who comes from a prominent local family, said she did not recognize the attackers or know why she was targeted, as she spends most of her time in northern Taiwan and returns to Beigang Township (北港) only on holidays.
In a post on Threads, a user claiming to be Tseng Tsai’s granddaughter accused Tsai Chin-tsai of organizing the alleged attack and sending “50 people” to go to Tseng Tsai’s home to beat up her grandmother and father.
Following the alleged attack, Yunlin police brought in 21 people for questioning, initially detaining three suspects and releasing several others on bail.
The Yunlin District Court on Saturday granted the prosecutors’ request to detain Tsai Chin-tsai and a 33-year-old man surnamed Chiu (邱), citing inconsistencies in their responses during questioning and the risk of collusion.
Prosecutors said they are still investigating the motive for the alleged attack, as well as why it occurred during the Matsu procession.
They have yet to file charges.
Built in 1700, the Beigang Chaotian Temple is renowned for its architecture and is one of Taiwan’s most well-known temples to the sea goddess Matsu.
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