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The Taiwan McDonald's bombings () occurred on April 28 and 29, 1992. Bombs were planted in or near various
The Taiwan McDonald's bombings () occurred on April 28 and 29, 1992. Bombs were planted in or near various McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
restaurant franchises in Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. The bombings – part of an extortion attempt – caused the death of a policeman and injuries to four civilians, including two young children, and resulted in the temporary closure of certain McDonald's locations in Taiwan.
Two people were subsequently convicted of involvement in the bombings, with the bomber themselves being sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bombings
The first bomb exploded at a restaurant inTaipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
on the afternoon of April 28, 1992. A device had been located in the male toilets in the restaurant and the bomb squad were in attendance at the time. The bomb went off as it was either being removed from the restaurant or as an attempt was being made to defuse it in situ. The resulting explosion killed one bomb squad officer. Later that day another bomb exploded in a telephone booth
A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...
outside a McDonald's in Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
in the south of the country. The devices were found to have been triggered by mercury tilt switches.
That evening, police found a soft-drink bottle in a Taipei parking lot containing an anonymous letter demanding NT$
The New Taiwan dollar (code: TWD; symbol: NT$, also abbreviated as NT) is the official currency of Taiwan. The New Taiwan dollar has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dollars ...
6 million (US$240,000) from McDonald's and stating that six bombs would be planted at McDonald's restaurants. Another device was found nearby.
On April 29, another bomb detonated in the Taipei suburb of Yonghe. The device had again been found in the men's room and detonated as it was being examined by the restaurant manager, leaving them in a critical condition and hospitalising another employee. Flying glass from the explosion also injured two children.
Response
On April 29, Taiwan McDonald's Corp announced the indefinite closure of 49 of its restaurants and offered a NT$12 million ($480,000) reward for assistance in finding those responsible for the bombings. The firm also said that it was working closely with police to improve security at its restaurants after which they would reopen. A total reward of NT$22 million ($880,000) was made available. McDonald's began reopening its restaurants in Taiwan on May 3. Initially only nine branches reopened. The reopened restaurants featured enhanced security measures includingCCTV
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
cameras, metal detectors and searches of patrons by security guards.
Convictions
On May 16, Chen Hsi-Hsieh, a plumber, and Pan Che-Ming were arrested and charged with murder and extortion by the local prosecutor, who demanded the death penalty for both. Chen was convicted of murder and extortion and sentenced to life in prison by a Taipei District Court on 25 November 1992. His accomplice Pan was sentenced to 15 years and six months for providing the explosives and harboring Chen. The presiding judge explained that they had not used the death penalty as they did not believe that Chen and Pan really intended to kill, demonstrated by them leaving a note for police explaining how to defuse the devices.See also
*Extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
References
{{McDonald's Explosions in 1992 Terrorist incidents in Asia in 1992 History of Taipei Organized crime events in Taiwan 1992 crimes in Taiwan Attacks on restaurants in Asia Murder in Taiwan April 1992 events in Asia History of McDonald's 1990s murders in Taiwan 1992 murders in Asia Terrorist incidents in Taiwan Building bombings in Asia