Taipei Times
Date: Jun 30, 2015
By: Lin Ching and Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A big-hearted veteran soldier in Taoyuan, who was previously falsely imprisoned for 10

Former soldier Cheng Yung-ching, left, holds up a certificate in Taoyuan on Thursday. Photo: Lin Chin, Taipei Times

years, has donated almost his entire NT$4.2 million (US$134,710) compensation to take care of fellow veterans living in poverty and ill health.

Former army second lieutenant Cheng Yung-ching (鄭永清), 84, was falsely charged with joining an illegal organization and was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1953, but the court recognized the case as a miscarriage of justice and paid him NT$4.2 million in compensation in 1989.

Cheng volunteered to join the army at the age of 14 and retreated from China to Taiwan with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in 1948.

Aspiring to a successful military career, he passed a reserve officer exam and was conferred the rank of second lieutenant in 1950, but was accused of joining an illegal organization after he pledged allegiance to a brotherhood with four close friends in 1953, which saw him spend most of his youth behind bars.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/28
By: Oscar Wu and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, June 28 (CNA) Jeremy Lin, a point guard for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, wrote a message asking for “prayers for the injured in the dust explosion last evening” in Chinese on his Facebook page Sunday, gaining more than 83,000 likes in three hours.

Some 524 people were injured in the accident at Formosa Fun Coast Water Park (八仙樂園) in New Taipei’s Bali District Saturday evening, including 13 foreigners (two Japanese, one Malaysian, one Singaporean, two of unknown nationality, four Hong Kongers, one Macau citizen and two mainland Chinese). They are being treated in 43 hospitals across Taiwan.

Lin also advised his Facebook friends and followers “to take care of safety issues when having fun during summer vacation” in his post.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-06-28
By: CNA and Staff Reporter

The health department of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan is ready to deliver skin from

An injured person is carried on one of the park’s inflatable rings to an ambulance, June 27. (Photo/Chao Shuang-chieh)

deceased donors to hospitals in northern Taiwan that are treating people for burns sustained in Saturday’s dust explosion at an amusement park in New Taipei, a city official said Sunday.

The department and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, where the donated skin is stored, are standing by for the deployment of the Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center, said Wang Hsiao-hsing, a division chief at the Kaohsiung Department of Health.

Over 500 people were injured by an explosion and fire at a party at the Formosa Fun Coast water park in New Taipei’s Bali district, with many sustaining severe and extensive burns. The demand for skin grafts is expected to surge, Wang said.

The explosion occurred at about 8:30 pm Saturday, when colored powder sprayed onto the crowd ignited in the air. Video footage showed terrified partygoers fleeing the area as flames sprung up on the ground around them.     [FULL  STORY]

Reuters
June 27, 2015

At least 200 people have been injured in a fire at an amusement park outside Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.

A spokesman for the fire service said it was believed coloured powder being sprayed on to a crowd had ignited.

More than 80 had serious injuries, the Taipei fire department said. Some victims suffered 40% burns according to CNA news agency.

The accident happened during a “colour play” party at Formosa Water Park in New Taipei City’s Bali district.

Of the 215 people injured, 83 suffered serious burns, while 132 sustained minor burns, a fire department spokesman told the BBC.     [FULL  STORY]

Water park: A separate marketing firm put on the “Color Play Asia” party     Video shows a fireball erupting, followed by people running through flames Firefighters believe a flammable powder exploded in midair, according to state news

CNN
Date: June 27, 2015
By: Greg Botelho and Kevin Wang, CNN

(CNN)More than 225 people were injured — about 100 of them seriously — after flammable powder apparently exploded in midair at a recreational water park in Taiwan, the East Asian nation’s official Central News Agency reported.

The flames erupted when the unknown substance blew up over a stage around 8:30 p.m. Saturday (8:30 a.m. ET) at Formosa Fun Coast, firefighters said, according to the CNA report.

CNA reported that “the fire was quickly brought under control,” but not before at least 229 people suffered injuries — 97 of them were in serious condition.

Video showed a massive fireball suddenly engulfing the stage, followed by screaming people running for their lives through flames.     [FULL  STORY & VIDEO]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-06-27
By: Scott Pursner

Two globetrotting Nepali cyclists are currently in Taiwan, travelling the island as part of their

Nepali nationals and world cyclists Lok Bandhu Karki, left, and Janardan Khanal, right, pose with their bicycles in front of Taipei 101. (Photo/Lok Bandhu Karki)

mission to promote world peace and brotherhood in 153 countries over 15 years.

Lok Bandhu Karki and his friend Janardan Khanal, arrived in Taiwan 5 days ago. This is the 115th country the two have visited on their journey, which began 10 years, 6 months, and 20 days ago, said Karki. The two are not affiliated with any religious organization, nor are they part of any political organization; they just seek peace through dialogue and cycling, he said.

Their mission to promote world peace started back in 2003, when Karki, who was a teacher of math and sociology at the time, felt troubled by the the state of global affairs, particularly by events in East Timor, Myanmar and the Congo. He decided to dedicate himself to becoming an envoy for peace. He spent a year and a half hiking through 67 of Nepal’s 75 districts. The support he received along the way spurred Karki to take his message overseas. On December 7, 2004, he began his international mission with three friends, including Khanal, who previously worked as a farmer. They traveled with their bicycles first to South and Southeast Asia where two of their teammates dropped out for medical reasons.     [FULL  STORY]