The murder of a 10-year-old boy whose throat was slit in a games arcade in Greater Tainan over the weekend has reignited a debate over the death penalty after the suspect reportedly said he would get away with a life sentence.
Public anger mounted after 29-year-old suspect Tseng Wen-chin (曾文欽) was quoted in the media as saying he would get a life sentence at most “even if he were to kill two or three people” and that he wanted to go to jail to avoid having to worry about living expenses.
Tseng, who was arrested the same day, said in a statement that his resentment toward society was the result of long-term unemployment and the burden of debt.
He picked a victim at random with the express intention of being jailed for life, the police said, adding that Tseng said that if he had not been caught, he would have continued to commit crimes.
Taiwan reserves the death penalty for serious crimes, including aggravated murder, kidnapping and robbery, but politicians are divided about whether to maintain it.
What would like you to pray for:
- Pray for the working class' financial stability. In Taiwan, arcades are not like they are in America. They're considered to be unsafe places for kids since shady people tend to hang out there. Most parents do not allow their kids to go to an arcade unsupervised. In fact, there has been talk of a law being passed to prevent kids younger than age 15 from entering an arcade unless they are there with a parent. This boy did nothing wrong by being at the arcade with his friends, and we are not trying to indict his parents, but in this case
- many of the problem associated with the working class apply—divorce, absentee fathers, parents always working. In this family, details that were reported in the paper include:
- sister lives with mom, boy lives with his father
- Dad did not have money, worked odd jobs—bulletin boards, we need work, call this number
- So poor that the kid had to get subsidized lunch from school, and bring it home to for his dad to eat too
- He wanted to go to the arcade to make some friends
- He didn't have enough money to play online games, so he went to the arcade (may not have internet connection)
- Mom wanted to pick him up, but it was raining, so she decided not to pick him up
- Classmates asked him many times not to go to the arcade
- Pray for the working class' family stability and structure. When divorced parents move from relationship to relationship, they can see their children as burdens, so kids are passed around between grandparents or taken to live with the new boyfriend/girlfriend, which increases the risk of abuse and certainly hurts kids' emotional development. Pray that social workers and the church people can step in to take those children to safe places and make them feel wanted. Pray that they do not need to live in fear or feel like no one loves or cares about them. These kids need love.
- Pray for the Taiwanese justice system. In Taiwan the legal system is not as pure as it is in this country. Corruption exists, and sentences are often light. Frequently, if you know the right people, or if you you can find enough money, you can buy your way out of a crime. As you can see this 29-year-old man mentioned that he knew he not only would not get a death penalty when he killed the boy but also could get free food in jail. He might be an extreme case, but he does show that some criminals know that the justice system can be exploited. Under the current law, people convicted of homicide could be sentenced to death, life imprisonment or more than 10 years in jail. Pray that the legal system can be more thorough to protect kids and that perpetrators will not take advantages of current laws to hurt more people. Also pray for the lawmakers that they can amend current regulations to reinforce the protection for children by cooperating with schools and arcade owners. Pray that the legal system will be just and fair, and that the culture of secret corruption will end.
