Jail siege ends in suicides

    Six convicts* carrying rifles and handguns who took prison guards hostage* at Kaohsiung* Prison in southern Taiwan killed themselves on February 12, ending nearly 14 hours of standoff* with the police.

    The two hostages, prison warden Chen Shih-chih and head guard Wang Shih-tsang, were both safe, officials said.

    The hostage-takers shot themselves to death at around 5 a.m. just before armed police were set to launch an overall offensive action.

    Bitcoin to be banned in HK

    Hong Kong lawmakers on February 11 urged authorities to ban bitcoin* as more than 25 people flocked to police headquarters to complain about a scam involving the digital currency that local media estimated could have duped* investors out of up to US$387 million.

    The government should clamp down on bitcoin, said lawmakers Leung Yiu-chung and James To, who accompanied the complainants.

    The company at the center of the scam, MyCoin, promised clients a return of HK$1 million (US$129,000) over a four-month period.

    Tsai runs for Taiwan primary

    Taiwan opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chair Tsai Ing-wen registered on Sunday morning as a candidate in the party primary* for Taiwan’s leadership election next year.

    Tsai paid 5 million new Taiwan dollars (US$161,000) as registration and polling fees. She is the only DPP member in the running.

    It will be the second attempt by Tsai, 59, to win the leadership election.

    Ferry tragedy captain jailed

    A Hong Kong boat captain has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the manslaughter* of 39 people in a 2012 ferry collision*.

    Sea Smooth skipper Lai Sai Ming, 56, was found guilty after a trial that gripped the city over the accident between his high-speed ferry and a pleasure boat near Lamma Island*.

    Lai was jailed for a further 18 months for endangering the safety of others at sea.

    (SD-Agencies)