Man Attacks Filipino Girl at Taipei Main Station, Remanded in Custody

TAIPEI (CNA) – A 41-year-old man, Li Kunrui, was indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Thursday for attacking a man surnamed Chen and a 3-year-old Filipino girl in the main hall of Taipei Main Station. The prosecutors requested a heavier sentence from the court. Li, who was in custody, was transferred to the Taipei District Court, where a judge ordered his continued detention. According to the indictment, at around 2:07 p.m. on April 25, Li kicked the abdomen of a man surnamed Chen in the first-floor hall of the Taiwan Railway Administration's Taipei Station without provocation, causing redness and swelling. At around 2:24 p.m. on the same day, Li struck the 3-year-old Filipino girl with his hand in the same location and then kicked her twice after she fell to the ground. The girl suffered a back contusion and abrasions on her left cheek. The girl's mother quickly carried her away, but Li attempted to continue the attack before being stopped by bystanders. He was subsequently arrested by police and detained upon the prosecutor's request. The prosecutor determined that Li's actions against Mr. Chen constituted the crime of injury under the Criminal Code, and his actions against the girl violated the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act and the Criminal Code for an adult intentionally injuring a child. Li was indicted on Thursday, and the prosecutor requested that the court impose separate penalties for the two offenses. The prosecutor argued that Li randomly attacked people in the crowded main hall of Taipei Main Station, causing panic, and even attacked the 3-year-old Filipino girl who was visiting Taiwan with her parents, causing her physical and psychological trauma and damaging Taiwan's image. The prosecutor deemed the criminal circumstances severe and requested a heavier sentence. Regarding the police's initial charge of attempted murder, the prosecutor stated that based on the evidence, including surveillance footage and a hospital diagnosis certificate showing the victim's injuries were a back contusion and left cheek abrasion, it was difficult to conclude that Li had a subjective intent to kill.