/ 30 June 2007

Taiwan woman indicted over smelly gift

A Taiwan young woman has been indicted for sending dog poop as a birthday gift to a colleague over a personal dispute, a newspaper said on Saturday.

Liu Chia-pei (27) and Ma Wan-ching work in the same company in Taichung, central Taiwan, but often argue because Liu likes to have the air conditioning turned on all the time but Ma often turns it off, the Apple Daily reported.

On February 17, the eve of the Chinese New Year, Liu, who had returned to her north Taiwan home to spend the Chinese New Year holidays with her family, sent a shoe box to Ma’s home by special delivery.

She put in the shoe box a plastic bag of dog excrement, a pair of chopsticks, a disposable bowl and a note saying: ”This is my gift for your 28th birthday. I will keep greeting you this way from time to time. You just wait.”

The note was not signed.

Ma was frightened and reported to police. Police traced the package to a convenience store in north Taiwan, and the store’s surveillance camera had caught Ma sending the package, wearing a cap and a face mask.

Liu filed charges against Ma with the Taichung District Court.

On Friday, Ma was indicted for intimidation, which carries a maximum six-month sentence or a fine of 1 000 Taiwan dollars ($30), the Apple Daily said. — Sapa-dpa