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Updated Saturday, February 11, 2012 0:03 am TWN, The China Post news staff



	A group of taxi drivers protest in Taipei on behalf of the driver surnamed Lin, who was allegedly seriously beaten by entertainer Makiyo and Japanese friend Tomoyori on the evening of Feb. 2. Lin is currently still hospitalized in Taipei. (Akie Ang, The China Post) Enlarge Photo

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Prosecutors demand 4-year prison sentence for Makiyo

The Taipei Prosecutors Office is seeking a 4 year prison term for entertainer Makiyo under aggravated assault charges, yesterday evening, while continuing the investigation over whether the police had intentionally covered up the video footage that revealed Makiyo kicking a taxi driver, which functioned as a key piece of evidence in the assault case, yesterday.

The Taipei Prosecutors Office said yesterday that it is currently determining whether the Taipei Xinyi District Police Office had intentionally delayed turning in the crucial video footage taken by a taxi driver, surnamed Chiang, who was a witness of the entire incident.

Police Under Fire

The police may be charged with offenses of destroying criminal evidence and potentially of disclosing evidence to the media, it said.

The video footage recorded by the onboard camera in Chiang's cab seems to reveal that Makiyo in fact had joined her Japanese friend Takateru Tomoyori in attacking a taxi driver, surnamed Lin, contrary to her previous claims of merely watching as the dispute developed and worsened.

Chiang had originally handed the footage to a police officer from the Sanmin Branch of the Songshan District Police Office on Feb. 2, who then passed it to another officer from the Shenchangli Police Station of the Xinyi District.

The Xinyi officers had trouble reading the disc, and, figuring that it must be a spare copy of footage provided by another taxi driver, surnamed Yang, they never paid attention to the video until nearly one week later, when local media visited the police station upon receiving a complaint from Chiang claiming the police had not properly handled the evidence.

The Xinyi District Police Office had apologized for its negligence on Feb. 9, and the Taipei City Police Department (TCPD) had issued punishments for the Shengchangli police officers around midnight the same day.

President Ma Concerned

President Ma Ying-jeou had personally contacted National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) at around noon to inquire about the Xinyi District Police Office's negligence in handling the case, Presidential Office Spokesperson Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) said yesterday.

After Wang reported to Ma the punishments handed out to the police officers, the president instructed that the police should learn their lesson in properly handling evidence and also to lawfully unravel the truth behind the case.

Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin also instructed the TPCD to thoroughly investigate the mistakes the police officers had made in the process of passing on the evidence and leaving it unattended, asking for the police officers involved to be harshly punished.

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Comments

February 11, 2012 skylarjones@

I don't think the President should involve himself in such matters. Leave it to the local authorities.

February 11, 2012 cloggedwithguts@

I'd go for forty years...

February 11, 2012 olichu@

Firstly, police in ALL of Taiwan are incompetent when their duties are called upon, other than drunk driving stops. There needs to be complete overhaul of the police culture and training. I have had my share of dealings with them and was dumb-founded at the lack of action or responsibility. Secondly, as proof of the inside circle culture, it took a call from President Ma to get some kind of action. BTW, the President should have other more important things to do then this. Hope it brings light to the change needed in law enforcement in ALL of Taiwan.

February 11, 2012 Mordrake@

Shame Shame Shame on Makiyo. We DO NOT need such role models.

Also shame on her clique of friends such as '小 S' for encouraging this kind of wild behaviour, on her shallow, moronic variety shows. Yes, she had Makiyo on her show before, and was really lapping up her tales of drunkenness and disdain for taxi drivers - almost as a premonition to this event.

Notice how '小 S' is now totally silent about her friend.

February 12, 2012 harold.miller.for.s.f.mayor@

I'm a Cab driver in San Francisco and I am running for mayor, and I will put those cameras in all of San Francisco's cabs...