Chauffer Suspect in Murder of Taiwanese Mogul Shih Chia-chin

Hsieh Yuan-hsin is the main suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Shih Chia-chin. (Image: Taiwan police)
Taiwanese online gambling ringleader Shih Chia-chin may not be a household name in the Internet betting community, but he was infamous in his home country for the wealth he received by running his internet sites. Now, his kidnapping and murder have actually shocked the island nation. Shih’s body was discovered Sunday evening in Tainan County by police. He was allegedly murdered after being kidnapped by his chauffeur and others that are several August 18.
Chauffeur Abducted Shih at Airport
On that time, Shih was acquired at the airport that is taoyuan Taiwan by their chauffeur, Hsieh Yuan-hsin. Just three hours later, the accountant at Shih’s business received a phone call saying that Shih had been demanding and kidnapped a ransom of TW$50 million ($1.67 million). Shih’s family attempted to negotiate with the kidnappers, eventually agreeing to wire TW$30 million ($1 million) to three separate bank accounts.
When the family nevertheless don’t hear from Shih, they contacted the police for assistance later that day. Hsieh apparently made an attempt to withdraw the transferred ransom quickly thereafter, but fled when he was asked to provide identification during the bank.
Hsieh Flees to Thailand
Despite efforts from prosecutors who issued a warrant to bar him from leaving the nation, Hsieh managed to board a flight to Thailand just hours later using a fake passport that used his photo but his cousin’s name and details. Hsieh was spotted on airport CCTV footage on August 18.
In line with the United Daily Information, police noted that Hsieh didn’t have record that is criminal which made them suspect that another individual may have planned the kidnapping. He did, however, seem to be covering his tracks, as he’d used his real passport to book a journey to Hong Kong. The passport that is fake been annulled, and Hsieh is suspected to remain in Thailand. Nevertheless, authorities fear he could flee to Cambodia or Myanmar, and Thai police have actually been expected to assist within the investigation.
They also proposed that ransom might not have been the primary motivation for the crime. Hsieh fled the nation without recovering the ransom, and a watch that is valuable still on Shih’s body when it was found.
Based on a report from the Central Information Agency (CNA), a human anatomy was found in a mountainous section of tainan County with over 20 puncture wounds to the back regarding the evening of August 24, about a week after the kidnapping occurred. Shih’s family was called in to determine the physical human body, and confirmed it was him.
Two Other Suspects in Custody
While Hsieh has not yet been apprehended, two other suspects were arrested on Monday. Complete names weren’t available, but The China Post said that their surnames were Lin and Cheng. According to police, Lin confessed to being truly a part of the kidnapping plot, but advertised that he did perhaps not know anything about plans to murder Shih. The two accomplices were identified making use of surveillance footage, which revealed they had abandoned Shih’s automobile in Greater Tainan.
Nine years ago, authorities cracked straight down on Shih’s Web gambling ring. That resulted in an 18-month suspended jail term for the person whose fortune had been reportedly worth billions of brand New Taiwan Dollars. Reports say that Shih had recently been the victim of the kidnapping attempt four years earlier in the day.
PokerStars Should Wait to Enter US Markets, Says 888 CEO
888 CEO Brian Mattingley believes PokerStars should really be allowed straight back into the US, but should face a brief exclusionary period first. (Image: calvinayre.com)
PokerStars and 888 Poker are natural rivals, as the companies are a couple of for the biggest players in today’s online poker industry. PokerStars is by far probably the most well-known online poker site in the world these days, which may be why 888 CEO Brian Mattingley has previously said that letting the poker that is amaya-owned straight back into the US would help all organizations, by attracting more players for everyone to share. But now, Mattingley has started to walk back those comments a bit, at the least when it comes to permitting PokerStars entry that is free lucrative American states.
According to an interview between Mattingley and Bluff Magazine‘s Steve Ruddock, the 888 CEO still believes that PokerStars is good for the overall poker that is american, and claims he welcomes their return. However, he does think that they gained an unfair advantage by continuing to service players within the US after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) went into effect, and that being a outcome, they need to get at least a slap on the wrist before they’re let back.
Statement Appears to Contradict Earlier Stance
This really is just a little different from responses published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ) is June. In an interview with that paper’s Howard Stutz, Mattingley ended up being quoted as saying that he desired to back see pokerStars come to the United States just as possible.
‘It could be like unleashing a 800-pound gorilla into the market, but having more players for a regulated site would gain everyone,’ he said.
‘ We compete with PokerStars throughout Europe,’ Mattingley said of his rival that is largest. ‘They are a definite solid competitor. But they would make all of us work much harder also it would expand the market. I might much favour a small slice of a large pie, than the usual big piece of a small cake.’
Those comments differed with ones he made month that is last Global Gaming company. There, he said he had been still against ‘bad star’ clauses that will ban PokerStars from industry entirely, but said that some penalties were appropriate.
‘ We must see the regulators saying because they were taking wagers illegally for those years, you are going to have to suffer a penalty where you can’t operate for a given period of time,’ Mattingley said that they can come in, but. ‘we think two years would make some sense…as competitors, I think we should be permitted to establish our brands, which could be done in two years.’
No Change in Opinion, States Mattingley
Those statements that are seemingly incompatible to have now been clarified into the Bluff interview. Inside it, Mattingley said that his position has been consistent all along, but that some of just what he believed to Stutz had not been included in the LVRJ article.
Based on Mattingley, their statements welcoming PokerStars back to the US markets were followed closely by a qualifier that is big by which he said ‘…however, I really do believe they got that leading edge operating in a market where everyone else was out.’
‘They shouldn’t be allowed to walk into new states,’ Mattingley told Bluff. He offered up that an exclusion of one to 2 yrs will be appropriate and reasonable to all ongoing parties, after which PokerStars should be allowed to compete like anyone else.
Packer’s Crown Buys 36-Year Licensing Deal for $847 million
Pleased as punch: James Packer has secured a license that is 36-year the Crown Casino in Melbourne, plus tax concessions on high rollers. (Image: Justin Benson-Cooper/perthnow.com.au)
James Packer’s Crown Casino in Melbourne received a permit extension until 2050 through the federal Government of the Australian state of Victoria, that has defended its decision to allow for the add-on that is multi-decade. The Victoria Government will allow Packer to also expand dining table games and ‘pokie’ (slot) devices in Crown gambling enterprises, in substitution for re payments of up to A$910 million (US$847 million).
Politicians and groups that are anti-gambling called the deal ‘grubby’ and ‘back-door,’ and declare that lacks transparency. But Victoria’s treasurer, Michael O’Brien, said that the contract would support investment that is economic jobs.
‘This agreement provides significant benefits that are financial’ he said, ‘as well as enhanced competition and investment certainty for Crown and the 8,800 individuals who work here.’
Crown casino chairman Packer was also quick to highlight the sensed benefits that are economic. He said that, while his company had invested $1.7 billion to update the casino, ‘it had for the long time been at ‘a major competitive disadvantage on the problem of taxation.
‘Now,’ he added, ‘with the support of the government that is victorian we will have a permit that allows us to compete on a level playing field to help drive tourism, jobs and economic advantage for the state.’
Anti-Gambling Backlash
Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce Chairman Rev. Tim Costello ended up being one of many who spoke out from the deal, however.
‘ This thing that is whole,’ he said. ‘This close to an election, why would you are doing a deal without transparency, and with such haste, when it has major implications for the Victorian public? Australia has 20 percent of all of the world’s pokies, it has the biggest population of problem gamblers in the globe, yet it has gone through with no debate or discussion.’
Five governments that are future he added, would be bound to the deal. ‘I think the general public now features a cynicism that is world-weary politicians, plus they know massive political donations get to government from the gambling industry. They want fewer pokies, not a maintenance or increase of current levels.’
Crown said it would expand the number of pokie machines and gaming tables under the deal that is new nevertheless the number of pokie machine licenses would stay the same, because it will be absorbing existing licenses from pubs and clubs. Additionally, the Victoria government also agreed that a ‘super-tax’ will be eliminated on all high-rolling VIP players from next year.
Concessions to your Crown
This last point, said O’ Brien, will allow Crown to compete with casinos in Macau and Singapore.
‘ This is a very lightning link slot machine competitive industry. We want to guarantee that high rollers from overseas find a reason to desire to come quickly to Melbourne to spend their funds,’ the treasurer noted.
Nonetheless, Deakin University gambling specialist and researcher Professor Linda Hancock questioned the logic behind this.
‘ I see no good explanation why the government should be offering any concessions to Crown, it’s quite crazy really,’ she said. ‘Crown has been methodically under-taxed for years. These types of concessions and deals should really be component of an election platform and should not have already been brokered in today’s world, but this is a characteristic of gambling policy. The federal government can be so beholden towards the gambling industry, which is providing them this candy to fill government coffers for their election campaign.’
Despite negative publicity, the deal significantly fortifies the place of Crown Resorts and also this was reflected in the currency markets. Stocks in the company rose in the hours after the story originally broke.
