TAIPEI - Taiwan plans to ramp up punishments for those who cause a fatal accident while drunk driving, including the death penalty for the most egregious cases, sparking an outcry from abolition and rights groups.
The proposal needs parliamentary approval but comes after a spate of high profile deaths that have generated widespread outrage. The new proposal would increase jail sentences for repeat offenders who commit a new offence within five years of their first conviction."Cases of drunk driving leading to death are rampant... drink drivers recklessly caused accidents that took lives and destroyed families to result in irreparable regret," the Justice Ministry said in a statement.
In 2014 a Texas man was indicted on"capital murder" after he ploughed his car into a crowd killing four people.Several rights groups on Thursday, including the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, issued a joint statement criticising the proposed amendment and calling for"rational legislation for irrational drunk driving".