Man tries to immolate self near Presidential Office

[AdmiralPiett]

Man tries to immolate self near Presidential Office

Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2015-05-19 05:59 PM

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A man set himself on fire in front of the Presidential Office Building Tuesday but was taken away to a nearby hospital alive, reports said.

Because the incident happened on the eve of President Ma Ying-jeou’s seventh anniversary in power, a political motive was at first suspected, even though it was later ruled that his action was a protest against a court verdict.

Around 4:43 p.m., a man estimated to be in his forties ran to the center of Ketagalan Boulevard close to Chongqing South Road, where he produced a knife, drawing the attention of military police guarding the Presidential Office, reports said.

He then set himself on fire with a lighter. The military police tried to save him using fire extinguishers and cold water, reports said, while an ambulance approached.

He was taken away to nearby National Taiwan University Hospital with second-degree burns covering 80 percent of his body, but he was still conscious, according to media reports.

An initial police investigation showed that the man, surnamed Chen, was protesting against the outcome of a trial. His mother and a friend of the family had been involved on opposite sides, with the friend winning the case, according to reports. Chen was from Shulin in New Taipei City, reports said.

The intersection in front of the Presidential Building has often been the scene of incidents, most often drivers who tried to ram the building with their vehicles.

On Wednesday, Ma will mark the seventh anniversary of his first inauguration, with only one year left of his second and final term in office.