Taiwan McDonald's bombings
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The Taiwan McDonald's bombings (Chinese:
Two people were subsequently convicted of involvement in the bombings, with the bomber themselves being sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bombings
[edit]The first bomb exploded at a restaurant in Taipei on the afternoon of April 28, 1992. A device had been located in the male toilets in the restaurant and the bomb squad were in attendance at the time. The bomb went off as it was either being removed from the restaurant or as an attempt was being made to defuse it in situ. The resulting explosion killed one bomb squad officer.[1][2] Later that day another bomb exploded in a telephone booth outside a McDonald's in Kaohsiung in the south of the country. The devices were found to have been triggered by mercury tilt switches.[2]
That evening, police found a soft-drink bottle in a Taipei parking lot containing an anonymous letter demanding NT$6 million (US$240,000) from McDonald's and stating that six bombs would be planted at McDonald's restaurants.[2] Another device was found nearby.[3]
On April 29, another bomb detonated in the Taipei suburb of Yonghe. The device had again been found in the men's room and detonated as it was being examined by the restaurant manager, leaving them in a critical condition and hospitalising another employee.[4] Flying glass from the explosion also injured two children.[2]
Response
[edit]On April 29, Taiwan McDonald's Corp announced the indefinite closure of 49 of its restaurants and offered a NT$12 million ($480,000) reward for assistance in finding those responsible for the bombings. The firm also said that it was working closely with police to improve security at its restaurants after which they would reopen.[1] A total reward of NT$22 million ($880,000) was made available.[2]
McDonald's began reopening its restaurants in Taiwan on May 3. Initially only nine branches reopened. The reopened restaurants featured enhanced security measures including CCTV cameras, metal detectors and searches of patrons by security guards.[5]
Convictions
[edit]On May 16, Chen Hsi-Hsieh, a plumber, and Pan Che-Ming were arrested and charged with murder and extortion by the local prosecutor, who demanded the death penalty for both.[6]
Chen was convicted of murder and extortion and sentenced to life in prison by a Taipei District Court on November 25, 1992. His accomplice Pan was sentenced to 15 years and six months for providing the explosives and harboring Chen. The presiding judge explained that they had not used the death penalty as they did not believe that Chen and Pan really intended to kill, demonstrated by them leaving a note for police explaining how to defuse the devices.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Bombs explode at McDonald's in Taiwan, kill one policeman". UPI.
- ^ a b c d e Huang, Annie. "McDonald's Closes All Restaurants in Taiwan Following Another Bomb Explosion". AP NEWS.
- ^ "Taiwan McDonald's target of bombs". Spokane Chronicle. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "Toledo Blade – Google News Archive Search". Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ "McDonald's Reopens Nine Taiwan Outlets After Bombings". AP NEWS.
- ^ a b "McDonald's bomber guilty of murder – Taiwan Today". Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- 1992 building bombings
- Terrorist incidents in Asia in 1992
- History of Taipei
- Organized crime events in Taiwan
- 1992 crimes in Taiwan
- Attacks on restaurants in Asia
- Murder in Taiwan
- April 1992 events in Asia
- History of McDonald's
- 1990s murders in Taiwan
- 1992 murders in Asia
- Terrorist incidents in Taiwan
- Building bombings in Asia