On Wednesday May 21st, Taipei’s MRT experienced it’s first ever mass stabbing incident, leaving 4 dead, and over 20 injured. The incident left Taipei citizens shocked at the severity of the crime, with many expressing disbelief that such an incident could occur in Taiwan. In the hours after the news broke, Taiwanese netizen attention immediately turned to appropriate punishment for the suspect, with many netizens strongly voicing their opinion in favour of the death penalty. Some netizens in Taiwan abrogated an immediate execution for Cheng Chieh, the suspect in the case, and also harshly criticized proponents of abolishing the death penalty in Taiwan.

News of the event has been the top trending article on Taiwan’s version of Yahoo News.

From Apple Daily Taiwan:

Murder on the MRT: First-ever random homicide incident on the Taipei MRT leaves 4 dead 22 injured

A terrifying stabbing incident unexpectedly occurred on the Taipei MRT today, as a male bearing a knife suddenly began stabbing passengers at random in an MRT train car. Eyewitnesses have pointed out that an estimated 22 people have been stabbed. As the MRT train arrived at JiangZiCui Station, a large number of passengers forced train doors opened to rush out, among whom 4 have already passed away from injuries. Police and fire departments have sent the injured to the hospital, and the criminal suspect has already been taken into custody. The prosecution has already sent out three investigators to respectively move forward on autoposies.

An eyewitness pointed out, a thick scent of alcohol could be smelled on the suspect before he committed the violent crime; the motive for the violent attack is still being understood by the police. (Incident Management Centre/New Taipei City Report)

From Yahoo Taiwan:

Man has no regrets over stabbing passengers to death on the Taipei MRT: Has wanted to do something big since childhood

A horrifying assault incident occurred on the 21st on Taipei’s MRT. At 4:26pm, a young man began wildly stabbing passengers on an MRT train car, which currently has left 4 people dead, and 25 sent to the hospital with injuries. New Taipei City police chief Chen Guo-en indicated that the male suspect had planned since childhood to do something “big”, and originally planned to commit his crime after graduating from university, but last week suddenly thought about doing something today.

According to current knowledge, the 21-year-old male involved in the case is a university student studying at Tunghai University’s department of science and engineering, named Cheng Chieh [Zheng Jie]. Before boarding the MRT, Zheng purchased two knives used in the incident, with one knife measuring as long as 30 centimetres. At Longshan Temple station, Zheng began wielding a knife inside the train car, stabbing passengers at random. Consequently, as the MRT arrived at JiangZiCui Station, the doors opened and passengers immediately began fleeing for their lives. A passenger who witnessed the event expressed: “We ran back and forth panic-stricken, trying to find a safe place to hide. In all my 30 years of life, this is the first time I’ve felt I just lived through something like the plot of an American TV series!”

New Taipei City Police Chief Chen Guo-en indicated that the man did not have a mental ailment nor did he have any medical treatment history. His blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.04 and the suspect professed to only have drank sparkling water. From a young age, the suspect had seen cases of a similar nature, and since primary school started to think about doing a “something big”, originally planning to commit a crime after graduating university, but suddenly deciding last week that he would do it today instead.

Chen Guo-en said the suspect planned the attack well in advance, and while in high school and university, Zheng would tell friends about his plan to commit a crime. Moreover, as the suspect is from New Taipei City’s Haishan District, the area where he committed the crime would be part of his daily commute. During the investigation and interrogation, the man expressed a complete lack of regret for his crime.

What more, passengers who witnessed the event also expressed unhappily that, while the crime occurred, MRT workers did not immediately participate in helping people flee or hide, and said passengers would have to wait until the MRT police arrived to handle the problem. Currently, the suspect involved in the case has already been placed under arrest by the police and is currently being interrogated, with the details of his motive still being investigated by the police. In regards to the whole incident, Taipei MRT officials have yet to make any response or statement.

Comments from Yahoo Taiwan:

冷楓雲忻

Since he has no remorse at all, just give him the death penalty. Your people from the “barking-to-death alliance” [original text is 吠死聯盟, a pun on “abolish death penalty alliance”] and “human dog organizations” [original text is 人犬團體, a pun on “human rights organizations”] can give it a rest, as locking him up would mean wasting money keeping this kind of guy alive.

多喝水

Absolutely ridiculous, was there really no one who dared to step forward and stop him? In the news report I saw, the murder suspect had a butterfly knife… Did no one have a bag or an umbrella in their hand to help stop him?

徐 (responding to above)

If I was on the train, I’d kill him for sure!!!

魚丸

I don’t get it.

There’s already eyewitness testimony, and material evidence.

Why do we still have to wait for a court judgment, as opposed to just immediately sentencing him to death?

Imtedwu

It is precisely because of the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty and the Taiwan Association for Human Rights that this man could be so unbridled. Shouldn’t the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty and Taiwan Association for Human Rights come out and say something now?

L6194

Why didn’t the police just shoot him dead on the spot…………..

Comments from Apple Daily Taiwan:

鄒約瑟

Sentencing him to death is faster.

Those that were [sentenced but not yet executed] before should also be carried out.

It shouldn’t be [the president] putting on a show by executing a few after just taking office, but instead clearing out death row all at once.

That [keeping death row inmates alive] is just wasting taxpayers’ money.

陳孟淳

They’re definitely going to say he has a mental disorder, severe depression, is manic depressive, or something and thus say the death penalty isn’t necessary.

Andy Lin

Seeing this fills me with anguish……

When I ride the MRT and I smell alcohol

I get a nauseated and uneasy feeling

Turns out what I was afraid of was…

encountering this kind of deathly disaster…..

I’m sad, a moment of silence for the departed

李紹強

Fuck! That criminal who crazily cut people down should have his dick cut off and allowed to bleed out, then use a durian to wildly bash his head, then stuff a baseball bat up his asshole! After that, alcohol should be sprayed all over his wounds, and then sprinkle salt.

劉威宏 (responding to above)

How about spraying insecticide on him, and then throwing a lighter on him, to roast him alive?

楊妍芯

If he’s so brave and fierce, he should’ve bought himself a ticket to Vietnam and kill at random to vent his anger, and it would even help avenge Taiwan. What’s the point of bullying your own people? What a pest, this kind of person should be given the death penalty to be carried out immediately. If he’s just sentenced to eight or ten years in jail, he’ll just come back out and be an even bigger ticking time bomb in society.

古斯法柏 (responding to above)

If he went to hack up little Vietnam, I would click upvote.

Hikaru Takamizawa (responding to above)

Going to Vietnam to vent anger by hacking people up would give rise to an international incident.

What kind of dog shit idea is that?

Mark Chen

I’d like to see you motherfuckers at the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty pull out an explanation for this kind of situation.

郭浩恩

Taiwan only knows how to protect pieces of trash like this. He’ll make bail very quickly, just you wait and see!!

Yuhsi Chang

Just wait and see, this scum will say that he was depressed over unemployment and not having money to eat.

Since hacking a few people to death won’t result in the death penalty, he can then just go into prison and eat for free.

Then all the blame will be put on the government.

郭泓毅 (responding to above)

He’s still a student, so he probably won’t say that.

However, I’m guessing someone will shortly say:

“My son is a good boy; he must have fallen in with a bad crowd!!”

Angel April

So frightening~! And this is actually on the MRT blue line I take every day. Even worse, it’s also the stop that I get off at too. All my friends who live close by, you are all okay, right?!

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