Top Taiwanese author dies after alleged assault by RI maid
Top Taiwanese author dies after alleged assault by RI maid
Stephanie Low, Agence France-Presse, Taipei
Wheelchair-bound leading Taiwanese writer Liu Hsia died at the age of 61 here Saturday, a day after she was hospitalized for injuries allegedly caused by an Indonesian domestic helper, police and hospital officials said.
The Indonesian woman, identified as 33-year-old Winarsih, has been diagnosed as suffering a mental disorder and is being held on charges of "assault resulting in death," police said.
Chang Deh-ming, deputy superintendent of the Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei, said Friday's injuries contributed to the death of Liu, who had suffered from chronic rheumatoid arthritis for almost 50 years.
"On the one hand, there was damage to her organs from the long-time illness. On the other hand, this incident had dealt her a very severe blow both physically and mentally, which possibly caused too heavy a burden on her heart," Chang told a press conference.
Liu was rushed to the hospital early Friday morning and was diagnosed with bone fractures and concussion.
She passed away at around 4:41 a.m. (2041 GMT Friday) after she had been given emergency aid for three hours for ventricular fibrillation, Chang said.
According to Liu's younger brother Liu Kan, Winarsih dragged his sister out of her bed some time after 3:00 a.m. Friday and beat her, a scene witnessed by his elderly mother who came out on hearing Liu Hsia's scream.
However, Liu Kan said his sister, a devout Christian, held no grudge against Winarsih for the "inhumane treatment," and the family does not plan to sue the domestic helper.
Detective Hung Chun-yi, from Hsintien police station in suburban Taipei which is investigating the case, said a psychiatric examination indicated Winarsih was suffering hysteria.
Liu Hsia, also known by her pen name Hsing Lin Tzu, developed rheumatoid arthritis when she was 12 years old.
Despite the crippling disability which left her quadriplegic and forced her to stop formal schooling after elementary school, Liu wrote more than 1,000 short stories and articles, winning a national literature and art award in 1982.
One of the winners of Taiwan's 10 most outstanding women award in 1980, she was appointed a national policy adviser to President Chen Shui-bian in 2001, a position she held until her death.