Taiwan May Punish Crooks By Flogging

Faced with an outcry over crime Taiwan may use flogging as a punishment for some offenses, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The China Times quoted Justice Minister Liao Cheng-hao as saying that “under certain conditions,” the criminal code could be amended to permit flogging.

Popular TV entertainer Pai Pingping, whose 17-year-old daughter Pai Hsiao-yen was kidnapped and murdered in April, has said Taiwan should study how Malaysia and Singapore use flogging.

Hsiao-yen’s murder unleashed a wave of protests against a perceived worsening of public order and a lack of professionalism among police.

Taiwan has the death penalty, but has outlawed other forms of corporal punishment.