Woman murdered in Gaoxiong (Kaohsiung)

[Dragonbones]

Can anyone say scurrilous?

sOME of us can EVEN roll the rrrrrrs.

[Buttercup]

Shudder. If all male forumosans could keep their rrrs stationary, this pukey-flu girl would be grateful.

[lotusblossom]

That's just crap. The government of the Philippines has enormous clout here . . .

Really? As much clout as the American or British or Australian or Japanese governments?

. . . and this case was observed VERY closely by both the Philippines and the various labor protection organizations and womens' groups here, lest she receive "rough justice."

Was it? So you're saying that these agencies are happy that one of their countryfolk is to be executed imminently?

Not ONE of these had ANYTHING negative to say about the way justice was served in this case. Not ONE. You have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about. Again.

The verdict has only just been announced. Give it time and they'll be plenty of voices that oppose this decision, which is not saying that I sanction her terrible deeds - if in fact she did commit them? - but what is clear here is that she is poor and powerless and therefore an easy 'victim' to use to put the fear of god into the general populace, especially those seditious foreigners, at a time when the government is feeling a little uneasy.

[sandman]

The case has been going on for a long time and Garden of Hope, Eden Foundation and at least two other groups have been monitoring the process carefully. They are not shy about blowing the whistle on judicial shenanigans.

[wix]

IM not saying she doesnt deserve death if shes guilty, just that we hope the sentence wasn't based on her passport?

Unfortunately, the decision to execute her is surely based on the fact that she is a poor Filipina from a poor country that has no political and economic clout. What's more, the economy here is in an appalling mess, so the KMT government - traditionally sympathetic towards capital punishment - will use her execution as a deterrent to all those bent on making trouble to behave themselves.

<snip>

The Chen Shuibian government sought to do away with capital punishment, but it seems the KMT wants to bring it back, thus moving Taiwan back into the Dark Ages. For Amnesty's International Report on Taiwan for 2007, go here: http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/taiwan#report

The death penalty hasn't been carried out in Taiwan since December 2005. Although it hasn't been abolished in law. The KMT have been in government for almost five months now. The Justice Minister is very devoted to human rights issues and personally opposed to capital punishment.

Taiwan is kind of in limbo. They have stopped using the death penalty but haven't put it into law. While the death penalty may be used again in the future in Taiwan, I don't the KMT will be in a big hurry to execute anyone. At the same time I don't expect the necessary legal reforms to be put in place too quickly either.

[Mr He]

Was it? So you're saying that these agencies are happy that one of their countryfolk is to be executed imminently?

I thought that it usually took 1-2 years from verdict to execution.

This is not China.

Here's some info.

http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/site/Tr/ ... ctNode=119

That's a bit dated, AFAIK only murder will get you a bullet thru the heart nowadays.

Here are some recent stats on executions:

http://asiadeathpenalty.blogspot.com/20 ... ition.html

[lotusblossom]

You know, my Taiwanese g/f is always trawling the Taiwanese press for stories of murder and intrigue, and recently there have been a spate of nasty 'murders'. For example, just yesterday a Taiwanese policeman fatally shot an innocent Taiwanese teenager in the head, claiming later that he meant to shoot just above his head as a warning. Further, there was a case recently of a Taiwanese man in his 40s killing his wife because she'd insulted his manhood by calling him lazy. I could go on and on, but why not pick up a local newspaper or surf the web for these horror stories, which are a weekly occurrence here. Anyhow, the question I want to ask is this: Will these Taiwanese men be executed for their crimes? The answer is almost certainly NO. And why? The reason of course is that this hits too close to home. First of all, the policeman won't be executed because he is part of the 'establishment' and other establishment figures, such as judges and politicians, will protect him because he(the policeman) is a protector of the status quo. Second, the 40 year old man will not be executed because he did what every self-respecting Taiwanese male does every now and again . . . put his wayward wife in order(or in this case in the ground!) So, when this poor, powerless Filipina goes to the gallows soon, just note the double standard that is being applied. Not only is the law an arse, but it is downright impartial and unfair!

[Mr He]

For example, just yesterday a Taiwanese policeman fatally shot an innocent Taiwanese teenager in the head, claiming later that he meant to shoot just above his head as a warning.

A tragedy. That said, the gun he carried was given to him by the government, and well the ruleset he is under allows him to fire warning shots if people try to run away. No need for the suspects to actually pull a weapon. They are allowed to aim at extremeties when firing the second shot.

The case is therefore somewhat different from the murder the Pina got the death sentence for.

Further, there was a case recently of a Taiwanese man in his 40s killing his wife because she'd insulted his manhood by calling him lazy.

Was it a planned murder, or a case of domestic abuse turning dadly?

Intent matters, and the murder which happened here was a pre-mediated crime, which was done for mainly fiscal reasons, not a policeman misjudging a situation and being a poor shot, or an abusing husband beating his wife to death in a fit. (Policemen are in general horrible shots here, and I would assume that the instances of spousal abuse here are at the higher end of the spectrum internationally).

I do not condone of policemen aiming like it was the first time they held a gun, and I don't condone of spousal abuve either. A life is a life and each life has an equal value, however the circumstances under which it is taken also matter when the punishment is meted out.

I have another story for you, and you will call that very unfair.

It's the same old story, a husband and wife go to a party, and the wife flirts with the other men while the husband drinks. They argue and the husband goes home, where he keeps drinking and waits for his wife, who only shows up at daybreak. (It later transpired that she went home shortly after her husband, however she did not dare to enter the flat, therefore she slept in the car.)

When she enters the flat, the husband jumps on her and after a short fight she lays dead due to head trauma.

He faces life imprisonment for murder until a young lawyer takes up the case.

Upon an extra forensic examination, they discover that there is a mark on the rear of her head, IE that she hit something. It was impossible to disprove that she was not pushed by the husband, stumbled, and hit her head against the panelling in the flat. In other words, the jury could not refuse the situation where he merely pushed her while angry, and she stumbled and well hit her head so hard that the bleeding killed her. Instead of life this extra bit of work got it down to unintentional manslaughter, which carries much lighter sentences.

[Tempo Gain]

You know, my Taiwanese g/f is always trawling the Taiwanese press for stories of murder and intrigue, and recently there have been a spate of nasty 'murders'. For example, just yesterday a Taiwanese policeman fatally shot an innocent Taiwanese teenager in the head, claiming later that he meant to shoot just above his head as a warning. Further, there was a case recently of a Taiwanese man in his 40s killing his wife because she'd insulted his manhood by calling him lazy. I could go on and on, but why not pick up a local newspaper or surf the web for these horror stories, which are a weekly occurrence here. Anyhow, the question I want to ask is this: Will these Taiwanese men be executed for their crimes? The answer is almost certainly NO. And why? The reason of course is that this hits too close to home. First of all, the policeman won't be executed because he is part of the 'establishment' and other establishment figures, such as judges and politicians, will protect him because he(the policeman) is a protector of the status quo. Second, the 40 year old man will not be executed because he did what every self-respecting Taiwanese male does every now and again . . . put his wayward wife in order(or in this case in the ground!) So, when this poor, powerless Filipina goes to the gallows soon, just note the double standard that is being applied. Not only is the law an arse, but it is downright impartial and unfair!

Well said Mr. He. Also, has it been said anywhere they will be putting this woman to the head of the line? It seems there are still a number of people on death row, I can only assume they are not all powerless Filipinas. As of now, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of fact to support the suggestion of unfairness you are making.

[mike_rophonechecker]

My toenails grow faster than your toenails.

Prove it?

Oh shut it you jerk.