Taiwan Court Sentences More Indonesians in Changhua Martial Arts Clash

More Indonesian Nationals Face Jail Time and Deportation in Connection to Violent Incident

Taipei, May 9 – The Taiwan Changhua District Court has delivered verdicts sentencing four additional Indonesian nationals for their involvement in a violent clash between rival martial arts groups in Changhua County. This follows the previously announced 11.5-year prison sentence for the main suspect.

The recent rulings have resulted in prison terms for the four IKSPI martial arts group members, all Indonesian migrant workers, ranging from three to seven months. They will be deported upon completion of their sentences. The court's decision is open to appeal.

The court's findings indicate that on September 2, 2023, over 70 members of the IKSPI group, equipped with weapons such as expandable batons and sickles, converged near the Changhua train station to confront members of the PSHT group, also composed of Indonesian migrant workers.

The two groups had engaged in an online dispute concerning martial arts and had agreed to meet in Changhua. Initially, 29 Indonesian nationals were taken into custody, with 15 eventually identified as suspects.

During the confrontation, a bystander, Ario Eko Cahyono, also an Indonesian national, was mistakenly identified as a rival and assaulted by IKSPI member Kumaedi, suffering multiple lacerations.

Kumaedi received a seven-month prison sentence for assault and participation in a violent public gathering. The other three individuals received sentences ranging from three to four months.

Previously, Rivan Antony Putra Hutafea, the primary defendant and a member of IKSPI, fatally stabbed a PSHT member during the same incident.

Rivan Antony Putra Hutafea's initial 12-year, 6-month sentence for murder was revised on appeal by the Taichung branch of the High Court. The charge was reduced to manslaughter, resulting in an 11-year, 6-month sentence, considering the suspect had stabbed the victim only once and lacked the intent to kill.

This ruling is final, and Rivan Antony Putra Hutafea will be deported after serving his sentence.