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A court decision in Taiwan has left the Malaysian community there shaken and angry.
Recently, the Kaohsiung High Court overturned a death sentence for the killer of a Malaysian student, reducing it to life imprisonment instead, saying the perpetrator “did not premeditate the murder and has potential for rehabilitation.”
The victim was a Malaysian woman studying in Taiwan who was murdered years ago, and her case has been going through Taiwan’s courts ever since, with the sentence changing multiple times.
Now, the Federation of Taiwan Alumni Associations of Malaysia has issued a strongly-worded statement saying they’re “deeply pained and strongly dissatisfied” with the latest ruling.
“To us, every Malaysian student who goes to Taiwan to study is like our own child,” they wrote, adding that parents entrust their children with overseas education, hoping for a positive outcome, yet this tragedy has not resulted in a judicial outcome that can comfort society or the victim’s family.
‘Students Are Not Numbers’
The federation has long promoted Taiwan as a destination for higher education, but they say this case has seriously damaged that trust.
When we promote studying in Taiwan, we inevitably face questions and worries from parents—this isn’t just about one case, it’s about the entire foundation of trust being shaken.
While acknowledging Taiwan’s legal system emphasises procedural justice and human rights protection, they argued that in extremely serious violent crimes, society’s sense of justice, victim dignity, and family feelings must also be seriously considered.
When the final verdict creates such a huge gap with society’s intuitive sense of justice, what’s weakened isn’t just the persuasiveness of the judgment—it’s the credibility of the entire system.
The federation made three formal demands:
- Comprehensively review and strengthen personal safety protection mechanisms for international students in Taiwan
- Enhance safety and risk warning systems both on and off campus
- Recognise the long-term impact of major criminal cases involving foreign nationals on international education exchanges and student confidence.
They ended with a clear message: “Students studying in Taiwan are not numbers—they are the hope of families, the future of society, and children we collectively protect.”
The federation vowed to continue monitoring the case and advocating for student safety and justice, noting the case can still be appealed to a higher court in Taiwan.
From Abduction to Death Row—and Back
On 28 October, 2020, Liang Yu-chih abducted the Malaysian student from Chang Jung Christian University in Tainan as she walked back to her dormitory, strangling her with a rope beneath an elevated railway before forcing her into a vehicle and sexually assaulting her.
After the victim resisted, Liang killed her and abandoned her body in a mountainous area of Kaohsiung’s Alian District.
The Ciaotou District Court initially sentenced Liang to death for multiple offences, including rape resulting in intentional homicide, robbery causing death, abandoning a corpse, and attempted rape in a separate, unrelated case.
While the Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch upheld the death sentence on appeal, the Supreme Court later vacated the conviction for rape resulting in homicide and ordered a retrial on those charges.
The High Court then resentenced Liang to life imprisonment, ruling that his original intent was robbery and sexual assault rather than premeditated murder, and that his crimes did not meet the threshold for “most serious crimes” required for capital punishment under a 2024 Constitutional Court interpretation.
The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office, Kaohsiung Branch, said it will appeal the ruling.
Taiwanese Politician Slams Ruling
The court decision has also sparked anger among Taiwanese politicians.
Opposition legislator Wang Hung-wei posted a sharp criticism on Facebook, questioning how the judges reached their conclusion.
“The judges claim he didn’t kill several people, so it’s not the most serious crime,” Wang wrote, questioning the court’s reasoning that Liang’s intent may have escalated from sexual assault to murder rather than being premeditated from the start.
She argued that judges exploit three justifications to effectively abolish capital punishment: claiming crimes aren’t “the most serious,” requiring unanimous verdicts, and citing “potential for rehabilitation.”
Wang quoted the victim’s mother, who tearfully asked: “My daughter’s life is gone, but the killer is still alive. How can we accept this?”
The politician, an affiliate of the Kuomintang (KMT), called on President Lai Ching-te to take action, warning that repeated leniency in serious violent crime cases undermines public confidence in Taiwan’s justice system.
Wang’s post reflects widespread frustration in Taiwan over the ruling, with many questioning whether the legal system adequately serves victims and their families.
Parts of this story have been sourced from China Times and Focus Taiwan.
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