Murder of Pai Hsiao-yen

Pai Hsiao-yen
Born	23 May 1980(1980-05-23)
Died	20 April 1997(1997-04-20) (aged 16)
Alma mater	Hsing Wu High School
Parents	Ikki Kajiwara Pai Ping-ping

Pai Hsiao-yen (Simplified Chinese: 白晓燕, Traditional Chinese: 白曉燕, Hanyu Pinyin: Bái Xiăoyàn, June 23, 1980 - April 18 or 19, 1997) was the only daughter of popular Taiwanese TV host and actress Pai Ping-ping and Japanese author Ikki Kajiwara.

Abduction, murder, and island-wide manhunt

Pai Hsiao-yen was missing after leaving for her school, Hsing Wu High School ^[1], on the morning of April 14, 1997. Her family received ransom request of $5,000,000 United States dollars along with a severed piece of her little finger and a photograph of a half-naked girl, bound with tape.^[2]

Press in Taiwan first reported the incident on April 23, 1997. However, after the abductors negotiated with the police for 11 days and changed the locations of payment more than 20 times, the police finally decoded the communication methods used by the abductors. In the subsequent police raid, one suspect was arrested while two other escaped after a serious gun fight with the police.^{[citation needed]}

Pai Hsiao-yen's deformed body, weighted down with dumbbells, was found in a drainage ditch on April 25, 1997. Investigators said that she had been dead for ten days before her body's discovery. Ransom negotiations had continued after the likely time of Pai's death; an impersonator placed a telephone call to give Pai Ping-ping the impression that her daughter was alive. Tim Healy and Laurie Underwood of Asiaweek said that Pai was "apparently tortured" before her death.^[2] The photograph of her naked dead body was leaked to the mass media, including the China Times which printed it. In consequence to this, people in Taiwan protested against the mass media. Twelve accessories were arrested, but three main criminals, Chen Chin-hsing (陳進興 Chén Jìnxīng), Lin Chun-sheng (林春生 Lín Chūnshēng), and Kao Tien-min (高天民 Gāo Tiānmín) escaped. An island-wide manhunt began and police were ordered to shoot the suspects without warning if they show any sign of resistance, which was contrary to standard police practice.^{[citation needed]}

On August 19, the trio were spotted by two foot patrol police officers in a residential neighborhood. A brief exchange of fire ensued and Lin turned the gun on himself after he was shot six times; one of the officers was killed and the other one wounded. Lin died around 11:55 AM.^[3] Reinforcement was immediately rushed to the neighborhood, and more than 800 officers conducted a thorough search, which turned up nothing.

On October 23, Kao and Chen shot and killed a plastic surgeon, his wife, and a nurse after forcing them to perform plastic surgery on them. A few days later, Kao was spotted by the police and shot himself when police attempted to arrest him on November 17.^{[citation needed]}

The last criminal, Chen Chin-hsing, broke into the residence of a South African military attaché and took the family hostages on November 18, but eventually surrendered to the police after negotiation initiated by politician Frank Hsieh. Chen was executed on October 6, 1999, after being convicted for kidnappings, murders, and multiple counts of sexual assaults.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ 白曉燕命案始末 United Daily News. Retrieved on September 29, 2009. "就讀林口鄉醒吾中學二年級，"
2. ^ ^{a b} Healy, Tim and Laurie Underwood. "A mother's despair." Asiaweek. May 16, 1997. Retrieved on September 29, 2009.
3. ^ Lin, Irene. "Would-be hero winds up in jail." Taipei Times. Thursday August 31, 2000. Page 1. Retrieved on August 18, 2009.

External links

	Taiwan portal
	Biography portal
	Criminal justice portal

• Armed siege ends in Taiwan BBC November 19, 1997
• Taiwan executes its most notorious criminal