The individuals involved were Chen Tai-an, a student at Qiangshu High School and the son of Chen Wan-tian, chairman of
Baitaiyuan Group; fellow students Zeng Bo-jin and Ji Guan-yu; and Lü Jia-yi, a friend of Zeng Bo-jin. Led by Zeng Bo-jin, the four began on May 1, 2012, and over the course of five consecutive days, used beverage paper cups to collect their own feces and urine. They then randomly splashed the waste on homeless people in Ximending, mocking them with remarks such as, “You drink too many beverages—let me pour some urine for you to drink so you won’t get thirsty.” The locations included Exit 1 of
Ximen MRT Station and a clothing store next to the Hanzhong Street Police Substation of the . The individuals who physically threw the feces were Zeng Bo-jin and Chen Tai-an. Ji Guan-yu was present but did not participate and attempted to stop the behavior. The acts were recorded on video and uploaded to Facebook under the title “On a Mission”, with a caption stating, “Our former cram school teacher also said that stimulating them like this could help them work harder to escape the homeless lifestyle.”
Police involvement and apologies Chen Tai-an's father, Chen Wan-tian, was the vice chairman of the Police Friends Association of the Republic of China and had extensive connections within law enforcement. He asked Lin Hong-ming, then deputy commander of the Fifth Investigation Unit of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Taipei City Police Department, to mediate the situation and attempted to pay hush money to the homeless victims. On May 12, Chen Tai-an and Zeng Bo-jin, accompanied by Lin Hong-ming, turned themselves in to the authorities. The school also stated that it would strengthen human rights education and moral education for all faculty and students. On May 15, Taipei Mayor
Hau Lung-bin stated that the feces-throwing incident was not only an educational and social issue, but that caring for disadvantaged groups must become part of education and, ultimately, part of Taipei's civic culture.
Legal consequences and aftermath A total of six homeless individuals were victimized in the incident, though none formally filed
criminal complaints. One victim stated that he hoped the parents would bring the students to offer sincere apologies and compensate for damaged clothing and bedding. Another homeless interviewee said that although he felt deeply humiliated, he was unwilling to file a lawsuit under the “public insult” provision of the
Criminal Code of the Republic of China, lamenting, “I’m homeless—what right do I have to sue someone?”The Taipei City Police Department ultimately imposed a fine of NT$1,500 under the
Social Order Maintenance Act for “soiling another person’s clothing.” The two students stated that they were not seeking fame, but hoped instead to inspire greater compassion in society. == References ==