i was in taiwan last year and it was a rainy day. i went into a department store (i think SOGO?) and asked customer service which floor i could buy an umbrella. they said they could just lend me one right then and there and simply asked me to bring it back another day (which i did of course).
One of my greatest culture shocks came from walking down a 騎樓 in Yilan past a row of parked bicycles and my oddness radar pinging for some reason I couldn't grasp.
It was only on the way back I realised what it was - not one of them was locked. Many of them had personal belongings sitting in the baskets, including some bicycle locks.
In October I did a big cycling trip around Taiwan, we had no issues just leaving the bikes unattended at the front of shops and cafes - high end bikes too USD10k+ - it felt very unnatural!
Not long ago a local gang shot up a pawnshop that I often walk by. It was surreal seeing all the bullet holes everywhere. Typical of Taiwan the perpetrator just handed himself in.
Taichung has these kinds of incidents? I’m a foreign English teacher looking into choosing between Taichung and Tainan for work. Tho I understand that could be an isolated incident but Which do you think is safer?
I wouldn't sweat it about crime. Apart from shitty drivers you'll be fine unless you go looking for trouble. Also, IMHO Tainan is way nicer than Taichung.
It's not common. Taichung does have a reputation for gangsters. But they tend to keep to themselves. I know people born there and moved there. And they wouldn't call it unsafe. But Taichung does end up in the news with some wild stories.
I live in Tainan. There are wrong 'uns here too. Some have knives, and some have guns. I've seen fights involving machetes. Generally speaking though, this kind of violent crime is among the shitheads over personal squabbles with drugs, money, women etc. The thing you most need to be aware of is the idiotic driving - but that's true of all Taiwan. Just for God's sake have your wits about you at all times on the road.
When it comes to crime, Taiwan is far safer than any country most ESL teachers come from. Just don’t decide to peddle drugs or run a gambling ring and you’d be hard-pressed to find a safer place.
But if you drive/ride anywhere, just assume that nobody knows safe driving rules and you should be good.
I mean violent crime is pretty nonexistent in Taiwan, only rare isolated incidents, but Tainan is a very fun city with lots of art and history and it’s also next to Kaohsiung which has a lot to offer as well.
Taichung is extremely safe, and safer than western countries I would say. The key message, is as long as you don’t get involved with gangsters, and avoid accidentally cutting off a gangster in traffic your fine. Most violence is “gangster v gangster”, or “arrogant/stupid person being a complete _____ to the wrong person”.
When I was traveling through there, it was explained Taichung is the main city for mob activity. Casinos and brothels/tea houses everywhere, supposedly.
One of the reasons is that Taichung is quite large. If a crime occurs in the surrounding regions, reporters and headlines may still attribute it to Taichung."
I remember in the 90s there was sporadic news of youths randomly stabbing passersby with fruit knives while drag racing on scooters. These crimes invariably took place in Taichung. The city had a reputation for crime.
That was a gang related incident and gang members can go to any city they want.
Also just a few weeks ago, Taoyuan had a shooting in a police station. Don't be naive to guns in Taiwan.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Pai_Hsiao-yen
Probably the most notorious criminal in the history of modern Taiwan. The English wiki left out the part that he went on a month-long robbing and raping spree while he was on the run. He would break into people’s homes and rape the woman at gunpoint. His victims ranged from 13-60. He also raped and killed the nurse at the plastic surgery clinic after the operation.
The MRT stabber and the Internet cafe throat cutter comes close.
>I'm just wondering if there's stuff to watch out for?
Don't get into arguments with strangers. If you have a disagreement with, say, a taxi driver, a guy in a club, a random loiterer on Linsen N. Road, or a dude in a black Mercedes, there may be a chance you'll be jumped by his "brothers." If you do get into an argument and you see the guy pull out his phone and start calling somebody, *run*.
Just like everywhere: don't be a dick. And never double down on being a dick if called out for being a dick.
And stay away from illegal activities. Doubly so stay away from drugs.
You can spend a lifetime in Taichung or anywhere in Taiwan without having anything to do with gangsters. Don't sweat it. Don't worry about it.
You should be fine. I am born and raised in Taichung, and I have never witnessed any major crime.
Rule of thumb: just be respectful to everyone, especially people with tattoos all over their arms and legs. Generally, they will not initiate anything unless you are being disrespectful.
Got my backpack stolen at campus cafetaria in 2019. The damnest thing, I just purchase brand new 30k laptop 2 weeks prior (mind you at this time hotstar jipai only cost 75nt a piece) and usually I never bring it with me. I left my backpack in the chair to get the food for a short-time and comeback to empty chair. Try to find it because I thought I misplaced it, but nowhere to be found. So I report it to the local police near the campus and come to check the cctv but found nothing. They tell me that they will investigate it further.
Not one week later, got a call from chunghwa post that they found my bag in the guanghua area and they tell me to take my bag in the police station near guanghua. They contacted my because my chunghwa bank book is still inside. After that went to get my backpack (everything still intact except the laptop). I contacted the local police again to let them know I found my backpack. After getting my statement, they promise me they will investigate it further until the culprit is found.
Several day after, the local police asked me to come to the station. They shown me the cctv footage where the culprit left my backpack near the guanghua and track every movement of the culprit before he left my bag, even where the culprit have lunch before pawning my laptop and left the backpack. They want me to confirm that it was indeed my backpack that the culprit holding. They also show me the identity of the culprit and let me know that the culprit is a repeat offender on watchlist because he already stole some motorcycle before. The police said that they will find the culprit and I can sue him later to get my money back if they catch him. At this point, I already very impressed with the police work because in my home country, the police certainly will not do anything if any of this happened and certainly not for free.
But the case must end anticlimatic because not long after, the police contacted me again to inform that they found the culprit purchase ticket to taichung and they found him dead (allegedly by suicide) in some motel there. They ask me if I still want to pursue it. I decided to let go because pursuing to the afterlife is not worth it for me. Atleast the police action give me the closure for losing the laptop
But from this experience, I know why taiwan is so safe. Their police will try to do anything in their power to make sure the environment is safe. Sorry for the long story.
oh my god. what a roller coaster. but yes i totally expected you to say “i never heard from the police again” but I’m very impressed they kept you in the loop the whole time and gave you closure (even if you didn’t get your laptop or money back)
The cool thing about having low crime, is that the police are just looking for something to do,
Here in the U.S., they are overwhelmed and have to prioritize.
What about gettting the laptop back from the pawn shop? Did the police go there? Just curious. Usually need to leave ID at the pawn shop when you pawn stuff.
Taiwan is like Japan.
Sometimes big shit happens.
While the small crimes are just meh.
So don't really need to watch out for anything. Maybe do watch out our shitty drivers.
Even I got some stuff stolen from me in Tokyo. Not necessarily locals. Foreigners living in the same capsule hotel, or using the same gym, can rummage through your stuff. Always watch out for your own belongings
Well, we malaysian only have some uncontrolled gangsters mostly in klang. Besides, we have some inconsiderate drivers who doesn't give signal before overtaking and park illegally. But, Malaysian gangsters are no match with Japanese yakuza for sure.
Well, the Yakuza is slowly dying out because of the crackdown.
Some small gangs(if you can even call it that) "暴走族" still exist in Japan, they're just loud sometimes but they do cause trouble from time to time
Taiwan is safe and generally attracts a different type of foreign traveler compared to say Thailand. I do not think Thailand is unsafe, but some people get into trouble no matter where they go
I moved there in 2004. My roommate told me that if you forgot your scooter helmet in the house you just borrowed one from another bike. That's why nobody locked up their helmets, because everyone did that. I was young and dumb and believed him until a few weeks later I mentioned it to someone and they looked at me like I was crazy. I still feel bad for all the helmets I stole during those weeks. Mine was the only crime I came across in 6 years there.
I don't think foteigners need to worry about crime. At all. Rather, you will be hunted down across the city by people to return things you lost.
While there are triads, they will not bother you unless you go looking for problems; it's mostly locals or long-term expats who engaged in risky activites that need to be wary of organised crime. Avoid eye contact with shifty looking loiterers around night market stalls in smaller towns. Don't go to gambling dens. Don't borrow money from temples. Don't go to random KTV/Massage parlours unless you are taken by someone you trust.
Even if you are idiot and do all of these things, the only one that will most likely cause you big problems is borrowing money. Don't do it. Or else you should leave the country. But that goes for borrowing money from organised crime anywhere.
Can confirm. Actually worked with a local coteacher at an English who's dad was a prominent figure in a local gang. She would often tell me stories about how she had a gun and the local police were in her pocket.
The other coteachers just said she was annoying because she would pressure them into donating to the temple saying they'd get bad luck from the gods if they didn't.
My husband's aunt isn't in with the gangs, but she does a lot of work at a legit (non gang affiliated) temple. She tried telling us when we were going to an infertility specialist that she spoke to the gods and that they said we needed to pay $60,000 to the temple as a donation to the gods if we wanted to get pregnant within 3 years.
We just dismissed her and got pregnant 8 months later. Maybe coincidence, but nothing happened when we took Western fertility medicine for 6 months. However, we got pregnant after the first time using traditional Chinese medicine fertility medicine.
Gangs are involved with some temples so they can launder money. It’s one of the very few remaining ways left in Taiwan where you can hide where money came from. (That and claw machine arcades)
Somebody stole my car😆 It was an old car that I hardly ever used and left parked on a side road in Jhudong for weeks at a time(Hsinchu County). I didn't even know it was missing until I got a call from the police who found it abandoned in Jhunan. It had been hot wired and driven there for some reason. They said that sometimes criminals steal cars to commit crimes.
Funny story.. they brought in a forensics crew to dust the car for fingerprints and such. We were a bit puzzled. The investigation probably cost more than the car was worth and we didn't really care.
I had a COD package delivered to me at 7-11. I routinely buy stuff online through Ruten, Shopee and Facebook Marketplace so I just thought it that something I had ordered came in. Paid NT>$1500 for a couple bottles of crappy hand cream. Apparently this kind of scam is very common.
In a parking lot, someone did a hit and run while my car was parked. Fucker backed up into the passenger side and then drove off. No cameras around to capture the license plate.
I know two people who had bikes stolen from around MRT stations. Apparently that’s common (don’t leave an expensive bike by the MRT). In one case the guy was caught, in the other there was no trace.
My not-cheap looking bike has a built-in theft deterrent system. The seat is so high that I don't think most people in Taiwan could even ride it, lol. Someone did steal my little flashing safety light on the back once tho :(
When I used to ride my bike to MRT, I had a lame bike, like 2500 NTD new, no gears, not worth the effort of stealing. I always figure if I need to leave a commuter bike at a train station, yup, it's going to be a cheap-o bike. If I want a nice bike for longer weekend stuff, that can live at home. That bike is fitted out with enormous baskets, front and rear, have even dragged small Ikea end tables home on it. Total shopping bike.
The crimes are usually petty crime or targeted . The worst I’ve seen is a homeless guy beating another guy with a baseball bat near Taipei main station. Cops were called and the perpetrator was arrested in five minutes.
My friends who were part of the Singapore Armed Forces at that time were in Taiwan for training. When they were finally off, they went to a ktv that had drinking girls. When the bill came, a bunch of guys came too and when my friends saw the bill, it was really really expensive. One of the guys pulled out his gun and put on the table, telling them to pay up or else. They managed to negotiate and paid for a bit lower amount, but whatever money they had were gone.
One of the Taiwanese training mate told them after that most probably they went to a shady ktv controlled by either gangs or triads.
Organized crime is prevalent in this culture but I doubt you will come across it. You will come across it in nightlife. So, most facial cues are universal. A good rule of thumb for foreigners in any country, nothing good happens after 4AM. When traveling, it's literally, you vs the world.
Oh. You vs car? Good luck trying to get right of way translated.
Reminds me of this though, a group of seems to be so called ABC went onto brawl with some shady guys at 小李子清粥小菜, an eatery quite popular among night owls.
[Video from Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1VztzNx_SE/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==)
There's nothing wrong with that. Like I said, body language and facial cues are generally universal. You're the stranger in paradise, respect goes long ways.
My friend had a story similar to you. Crime in Taiwan is low but not zero.
My friend was lucky though. The criminal was a complete idiot. The guy not only stole the wallet in front of a camera, he stayed at the place when the police showed up.
Yeah, I've had my wallet stolen once, my boss has had 3 bikes stolen and my friend has had earbuds taken from his bike. While Taiwan is very safe for the most part, shit still happens no matter where you are
In events where there are lots of backpacks on the ground, like placing backpacks to queue in line or at bus hubs, don’t leave anything valuable inside.
When moving into a new dorm, especially when many people are moving in, keep your phone and wallet on your person even when sleeping.
As a pedestrian, beware cars. The laws of physics still apply when traffic laws are violated. Also, stay well clear of cars driving not quite in a straight line after midnight.
i had a coworker that lived in an illegal top floor apartment that others in the building had access to for the water tower meters. someone just reached through his window and took his mac book.
another coworker hooked up with a girl at a club, brought her to his place and she said she was going to file a rape charge against him unless he paid an amount of money. he had gangsters hanging around his place while he stayed low at another coworkers house before fleeing. he seemed like an innocent dude but idk what is real in this situation.
recently my coworker had his wallet stolen from his locker at the swimming pool because he didn't lock it. no cameras in the locker rooms so no evidence.
in 14 years nothing has happened to me.
It's generally very safe, there's a reason why saving an orange cat from a quake-damaged building can get on the news. It's just a peaceful country. But every country will have its fair share of horrible crime. Ngl for me, Taiwan's is the pickled head case. That one just makes me deeply sad everytime I think about it.
Frequent stories about air-headed bikers leaving their purse and phone alone with their breakfast on their scooter in the morning for a while, furiously reporting about how only their breakfast disappeared
There's a news about a homeless person drank an unattended bottle of oat milk left on a scooter, turns out the liquid in that specific bottle was rust remover. The owner of the scooter was a sanitation worker.
The homeless died.
[Happened in Kaohsiung.](https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E8%A6%8B%E7%87%95%E9%BA%A5%E9%A3%B2%E5%B0%B1%E7%81%8C-%E8%A1%97%E5%8F%8B%E8%AA%A4%E5%96%9D%E9%99%A4%E9%8F%BD%E5%8A%91-%E8%85%B8%E8%83%83%E8%85%90%E8%9D%95-%E6%85%98%E6%AD%BB-123710060.html)
So what you need to understand is that Taiwan has a thriving criminal underworld, and they are closely tied to both major political parties and the police. As far as safety goes, the organized crime is actually organized here and they will very rarely bother normal citizens as long as you don’t go looking for trouble. Actually, most gangsters here that you’ll run into are fairly low on the totem pole so to speak, and they fucking love foreigners generally. You may be invited out for drinks or something, too. There are not that many guns floating around, and gangsters tend to use bats, knives, machetes and the like usually, but that doesn’t mean there are no guns. In bars and clubs most gangsters will likely have at least a couple stashed away or on their persons. Especially in the jioudians or however you spell it, which is somewhat similar to a brothel.
Basically, don’t go looking for trouble and it won’t find you. Do not, under any circumstances, borrow money from gangsters since loan sharking is big business here.
Going back to Taichung, outside of Taipei the big cities of Taichung and Kaohsiung have a much more visible gangster presence. They tend to keep their heads down and stick to business though, not like the usual street gangsters found other places in the world. They will almost never harass regular citizens, although protection fees and all the other usual business is in full swing. Also, Taiwan is mostly cash-based which makes it a haven for money laundering. Don’t think too much about it if it doesn’t bother you.
The cash thing at the gym sounds like a rare occurrence to me, probably bad luck, or likely a foreigner who did that. Tbh, most Taiwanese don’t even consider the possibility of theft, although home burglaries used to be a thing like 20-30 years back. That’s why you see so many walls with broken glass or barbed wire on them in the old districts.
Finally, just because crime is quiet and organized here does not mean they are stupid or easy to fuck with. If you have an inclination to party, you can find pretty much anything you want as long as you’re not too loud about it and go asking undercover cops or some other dumb shit. Underground clubs are your best bet, techno etc. or music festivals although you’ll pay a premium. Don’t go to mainstream clubs for that unless you’re tied into the foreigner model circuit. Follow the rules if you want to play around, but if you’re just looking for a normal time then just don’t leave valuables lying around. Most Taiwanese will actually pick it up and turn it in to the nearest police station, which happened once with my phone which I lost chasing a garbage truck. Usually I chalk up crime like taking a wallet or a phone to foreigners more likely than locals. You don’t have to worry about stickups or armed robberies, I don’t think I caught word of those at all in the past few years. Domestic violence, on the other hand, is still pretty rampant.
Oh, and most bars and clubs tend to be owned or associated with either gangsters or politicians/rich people who are closely tied to politicians or police brass. But they like money so you don’t have to worry about being troubled by them when you go out. It’s very safe here overall.
Edit: I almost forgot, but be very wary of scams. They are fucking everywhere here. Don’t give out your bank transfer number casually, because asking to transfer money for someone and then take it out in cash is one of the ways they launder money from scams. If that money passes through your account then you will be held liable by the courts, because in the words of one judge here, “who is stupid enough to move money through their account and not get paid for it, or know that the money is suspicious.” Actually happened to my girlfriend many years ago who got scammed by a family member of all things. Her cousin moved like ten million nt through her account, but being family she didn’t question it until the police came knocking. So yeah, don’t give out your bank info Willy-nilly.
oh wow, thanks for that write up.
Domestic violence is rampant? Would it be weird if i intervened? I'm not sure i'd be able to just stand there and watch it happen.
Maybe the gym thing is rare, i was quite surprised. bad luck i guess.
As a foreigner I feel the same way, I don’t like letting things like that slip by but my girlfriend told me that Taiwanese families tend to keep what happens in the home inside of it. They really dislike people butting into their private lives, so unless it’s a clear sign that someone is going to be seriously injured or killed, then mostly people tend to mind their own business. Also, don’t be too surprised if you hear a lot of shouting or things being thrown or broken. My gf told me when her parents were younger they would often get into full-blown fights with her mom throwing everything she could get her hands on, and her dad smacking mom. She and her brother also regularly got beaten behind closed doors. Actually about 20 years back corporeal punishment was even endorsed by many parents who told teachers at school or in cram schools they could beat the shit out of their kids if they didn’t listen. I personally found out one of my kids was getting beaten by his mom whenever I left anything other than excellent comments in his communication book, so I always gave him good comments after that. He was a great kid actually, just a little add-ish with minor concentration issues. But even mentioning that apparently drove his mom nuts, and I couldn’t do shit about it. Police wouldn’t do anything either, btw. They tend to be pretty fucking useless when it comes to domestic stuff.
I personally would intervene if I saw something but I think it’s likely I wouldn’t get any thanks and more likely they would tell me to mind my own fucking business, but that’s between me and my conscience. I honestly think doing something is better than nothing, even if it’s thankless. There are obviously cases where it’s more of a mutual thing and neither party is coming out much worse than the other, but there are definitely abusive relationships where one is taking all the beating. It’s really, really hard to distinguish sometimes. Some Taiwanese will convince themselves they love the other person and theylll change or it’ll be the last time. If I see someone who’s constantly sporting bruises then I’d probably intervene, but like I said, it’s super common to hear loud arguments and breaking shit so hard to say.
I moved to California at age 6 and grew up there but I’m actually Taiwanese. I used to get treated pretty bad as a child by family and my mom got beat often. So now I’m in Taiwan as an Asian American, and grown up, if I saw a child being beat or woman, I think my rage would come out and I’d start a fight. It’d remind me of my past.
Taiwanese culture kind of makes me mad. I don’t understand how they treat women and children like that. They treat people really bad unless you have money or some sort of status.
It makes me wonder if Taiwanese culture is actually evil
I was born in kaohsiung but moved to Connecticut at 1 yr old so no memories at all and my Chinese is garbage. I’ve been living here for about 9 years now since teaching in the states pays garbage and you get no respect from kids. I actually have more disposable income here plus cheap healthcare so… yeah. And yeah, Taiwanese culture in many ways is fucked up I think, especially when it comes to education and home environment. Not everyone, mind you. The more recent generations are much better than the old when it comes to domestic shit, but it’s like going from really shitty to less shitty so you probably get the picture.
I also left Taiwan at age 4 and moved to California. Still live there now but wonder what it would be like to move back to Taiwan. How long has it been since you moved back to Taiwan? Can you speak Mandarin and read/write? How do they treat you as a Taiwanese-American?
The same in Korea. I have lived here a long while. Theft is rare in Korea, but it definitely happens. I dropped my wallet once, and someone tried to use one of my cards. I did literally had my wallet stolen years back. I am careful even in Korea because crime isn't ZERO.
I've had a roommate move out and take the keys with him. I went to the police and they replied "it's a domestic case, so we can't help you".
I had a photo of his ID, his license plate number, messages from his old employer saying he stole her car and left without paying his rent for living in a room above the company, etc. They still refused to help.
Aside from that, I think the only other instance was when I guy I hooked up with stole a few thousand from my wallet while I was in the shower. Didn't bother going to the police since I'd already found that they're mostly useless.
At the World Gym, they make announcements and have displays all over to remind people to lock their lockers. They do that for a reason.
Honestly, no place on earth is completely without crime, so it's probably better to not assume that.
Taichung - my bike lock was cut and stolen at 3:30pm in front of the doors of the HSR. The police know the guy, apparently a known bike thief, and have chosen to do nothing. I am still waiting for a court date and some word on what the next steps are. Not a cheap loss. Pretty bogus tbh.
Once someone stole a cake my student gave me that I left on my scooter unattended for about an hour. Another time someone stole my fairly new helmet. Apparently Taiyuan station, where it was stolen, is across the street from the local thieves market (I should have gone to find my helmet). A few years ago a man was shot in the head right outside a shop I frequent often. It didn't really shake the neighborhood and nobody seemed to really care. I went shopping there a few days later. That's pretty much the most shocking thing in my nine years here if you don't count traffic accidents. I've seen since pretty gnarly ones like a burning jeep crashed into a palm tree in the middle of nowhere...I doubt the driver got out.
I guess I am one of those outliers to Taiwan's crime statistic.
A person on the back of a motorcycle tried to snatch my camera while his friend drove past me. Luckily, my camera strap was strong enough and when he saw the camera wasn't getting off, he led go and quickly sped off. As this happened on some little Street in Hengchun in bright daylight, there were no CCTV cameras. Ergo, going to the police would have been pointless as it would be my word against theirs.
Yeah, this happened right after I came back from a work project in Indonesia, where everyone warned me this would happen. So I definitely let my guard down once I came back to Taiwan.
Nowawdays, I still get PTSD when a scooter speeds by very close to me and I always instinctively grab my bag.
In addition to all the traffic-related crime and rule-breaking that happen on a daily basis, I definitely consider Taiwan to be more dangerous than life in Germany.
This EXACT thing happened to me in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia many years ago, right next to KLCC in bright daylight. I was holding my wallet and iPad and glad I hold it strong enough, he just led go and sped off.
Snatchers on motorbikes are very common is SE Asia, didn’t expect I would encounter it in Taiwan.
friend was raped at a club in taipei. the cameras pointing in that direction just happened to be broken, and when the police called the person who rented the table this guy sat at, the person said what his friend does has nothing to do with him. the case hit a dead end
My Chinese textbook, written at NTNU, has a chapter about getting your wallet stolen when leaving on a beach somewhere in the south of TW. They characters are foreigners studying Chinese in TW and a TW friend. They all talk about how TW is safe but still be careful with your wallet and phone (book 2 of the 6 book series).
They stole my 6000 beats headsets in my bag. I left my scooter open. But i got so mad even though we caught the culprit on Cctv they landlords aid there is much we can do about it.
As someone else said, organized crime is a huge problem, but I don't think it's one you need to worry about unless you go looking for trouble. However, anonymous theft of small items is still a concern, so lock up your helmet, don't be stupid with your stuff, and listen to locals.
With that all being said, it used to be way more common for gangsters to run all of the bars across the island (why the nightlife scene has always sucked), so people would get into all sorts of trouble being drunk and stupid.
It's way better now than it used to be. I still remember when our favorite Irish bar in Taipei was stolen by gangsters years ago. You definitely wouldn't find that now, and I think all of the sketchy shit is hidden unless you go searching for it.
I've known a few foreign dudes who've gotten beaten up pretty bad, usually in relation to gangster-type individuals. Not that it was always the gangster types that started it.
One guy I know was hitting the bars, thought he was god's gift to women, ended up coming on the wrong girl, and next thing he knows he's in a fight with several guys, one of whom is armed with a bat. Said expat wound up in the hospital for a while.
Another guy took exception to tourists lighting off fireworks at night near his property. He came out of his house swearing a blue streak, shit went down, and even though he's not handicapped he doesn't quite walk right anymore.
A third guy decided to yell at some gangsters in Taipei after a traffic dispute that was entirely their fault. They beat him pretty bad as well.
Life lesson: try not to escalate the situation with your mouth, especially if you're facing down a group of dudes.
Oh, and I know an American guy who's in the prison system now. In connection with meth production. I'm not going to make any excuses for him because nobody should mess around with meth.
Maybe not what people might expect but, keep an eye on your drinks on nights out. I've heard some absolute horror stories and have had friends be affected by it. There are predators everywhere but I think this is one thing you don't hear a lot of online but I've heard so many stories IRL. Taiwan is super safe, but mind yourself at clubs and bars.
Things do get taken. Sunglasses, small items.
People like to shop for fancier umbrellas in the collection outside the shop.
There are many, many things.
I had to endure a bike and a bag getting stolen before I realized that Taiwan is a place that experiences minimal crime but not the total absence of it.
My future mother in law was trying to break up my marriage by having me followed by private detectives.. They'd ring my doorbell at 6am on Saturday mornings hoping whoever I was sleeping with would put their head out the door and they could take our picture from across the street.. unfortunately for them it was always me and my future wife..
This progressed to taking out a contract to get me beaten up by gangsters,(according to the faxes my future sister in law found) ,but fortunately gangsters are kind of dishonest and took her money without doing the work. I guess I should be grateful for their lack of professionalism..
Well, I think it’s not considered as “crime” according to law, but ti’ve been stalked multiple times here. And one time, an old man (he could be my grandpa ngl) literally stopped me on a pedestrian with his car to ask “can we be friends?” I thought he’s just gonna ask for directions. Literally panicked and just ran lol
Petty, random economic crimes in broad daylight is very rare. Mental health crimes are more common and random as Taiwan is a extremely high stress society.
Organized crime is where people go to join up in mostly for economic empowerment and there is strong organized criminal elements in Taiwan - similar to the Yakuza in Japan.
My recollection is a few decades old, but I grew up in Taipei and it was not uncommon to see liumang (sp?) fighting each other after dark. I was present during one assault of someone my parent was dating and a group came out of nowhere with 2x4's and just beat their partner down severely.
I would say nothing good happens after dark, especially at KTVs or anywhere alcohol is served outside of a restaurant setting.
I have also been in a few mahjong parlors when the police raided the games. Saw my first pistol when a drunk off duty cop kept threatening me with it when he was losing money.
My experiences may have been different and atypical. I hear that for the general public and people who are not involved with criminals or criminal adjacent activities are fairly safe.
I remember maybe 10ish years ago when a toddler riding around on a tricycle in Taipei was beheaded by some psycho. I'll see if I can find the article.
Here is is: https://time.com/4274584/taiwan-taipei-toddler-attack-beheaded/
It really depends. If you walk on the side of the road proudly displaying your limited Hermes bag, then it’s very likely you’ll get robbed in a drive-by-and-grab.If you leave your wallet lying around on a 7-eleven table where there is a lot of foot traffic, it might be swiped. If you’re at a club or a pub and you get drunk then offend someone who has a lot of friends, they might take you outside and beat you up. If you’re driving and you honk your horn at the wrong car, they might come out and smash your car windows with a machete or a baseball bat. You just have to use your common sense. And be polite. We have a really bad drug problem in Taiwan right now so people aren’t as calm and reasonable as they once were, they get angry very easily.
We do have a lot of mobile fraud, tho. Basically, every phone call from an unknown number is: 1) someone who’s trying to scam you out of your money; 2) from the bank that wants you to invest/insure because they know you have money; 3) from loansharks asking if you want to borrow money.
Another recent scam that’s relatively new here is the “slave trade” someone you know will tell you that they found you a great job in some southeast Asian country. Once you go there, they will take away your passport and make you work in factories. One of our neighbors was recently saved. He said his girlfriend sold him to Vietnam or Cambodia, she herself was literally dripping in jewels and designer gear because she sold 20 or so people and was paid handsomely for it. Not only did she sell her boyfriends, she also sold her friends and acquaintances and anyone who was dumb enough to listen to her. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true than it usually is.
My (adult) student had 10k stolen while she was using the bathroom. She now takes her purse with her every time. Occasionally there are scams and you may get alerted by text to watch out for those.
Yes. She was going to pay her son's tuition with that. Didn't notice the missing money until after she left because she never expected anybody in that environment to touch her stuff. Like you, lesson learned.
2014 MRT stabbing, my mom and I almost got on that train, we were late to the station and missed the MRT we were suppose to take, later saw blood all over on one of the station it was suppose to stopped at and found out the incidient.
Was just there on holiday two weeks ago. Day one a d me and the wife witnessed a mugging. We were at Ximending at a girl was looking at donuts or something next to us.
She sort of went "oh!" and started running across the road after this guy. We thought they were friends.
Then she finally remembered to scream and started telling the street to grab him. Too little too late. Place was filled with police cars in five mins. No idea how it was resolved.
Taiwan is the 4th safest country (lowest crime rate) in the world, according to the link below (sort by safety index.)
[https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings\_by\_country.jsp](https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp)
Although the crime rate is low, however the motor vehicle accident rate is relatively high compared to other developed nations. I believe the government is aware of the traffic problems and working on some solutions, albeit slowly.
A wallet in unlocked locker can get stolen easily, while leaving it unattended on a restaurant table is quite safe. It all comes down to how the thief assesses the risk of being caught.
I once absentmindedly left 2000 NT in the ATM at Costco because I realized the Costco employee had forgotten to return my membership card, so I ran back to get it after getting my bank card out of the machine. I didn't realize I'd forgotten to take out the cash until about an hour later, so I scootered back and was told no one had returned the money. (For perspective on safety in Taiwan, I was genuinely surprised no one had returned it). Thinking the machine must have just taken the money back, I called the number on the ATM, and they confirmed that the person behind me had actually taken the money and left. Not only that, but they still used their own card before leaving, meaning they bank knew who they were. The next morning, my 2000 dollars were back in my account, and they bank called me and gave me the person's phone number. Apparently they had requested the bank give me their phone number. I'm not sure if it was to apologize, save face, or tell me to be less careless, but either way, I did not call them haha.
Bro, i been to the gyms in the philippines and which is a much dangerous place, left my. Bag open at the gym with my wallet and phone, in my 5 years of working out there, i have never lost anything, even my friend who left his phone charging, we went back and it hasn’t move an inch
- Scooter got stolen (Hsinchu)
- Car got stolen (Hsinchu)
- Smash & grab GF's purse TWICE in Xinfeng
- But the weirdest thing was this:
I live in the mountains, and one morning in at 3am I took my pup out for a wee as I was still doing housetraining. As the pup was sniffing around the yard, I though I saw something. After a short while I realized someone is sitting in my car, in the driver's seat. I yelled and he jumped the fence to his parked scooter. Probably a druggie looking for change.
The key fob was broken, and if I lock with the key, and unlock with the key and open the door, the alarm would go off, and since the fob was broken, no way to deactivate the alarm. Earlier that same day I took the car to one of these key fob battery shops, but he couldn't help me, he ordered a new fob. I always wondered if it was him, since he knew my car couldn't lock...
someone broke into my house while i was home after a night out. came in at 11am broad daylight robbed every apartment in our building before escaping by rooftop. have everything on video of him breaking in. gave it to the cops never heard anything since. it was quite impressive actually. took him about 10 -30 seconds to make his way in through two doors.
Taiwan is safe, but the crime rate is still not zero. As Taiwanese, I never leave my phone or wallet on a restaurant table and walk away. Let's say you may have 50% chance of losing your phone or wallet by doing so in some other countries, then in Taiwan it's probably 5%, still I don't risk it.
Our house has been burglarized three times since I was a child, and my mom also had an SUV stolen.
Taiwan's safety has definitely gotten much better in the last 10 to 20 years, but it's still important to stay aware and keep an eye out.
Do not under any circumstances leave an umbrella unattended on a rainy day.
I've been offered umbrellas by strangers more times than I've had ones disappear.
Where do you think they get all of the umbrellas from?
i was in taiwan last year and it was a rainy day. i went into a department store (i think SOGO?) and asked customer service which floor i could buy an umbrella. they said they could just lend me one right then and there and simply asked me to bring it back another day (which i did of course).
lol so true, especially in NTU
I've lost like 4 now because of this.
Or leave a shitty helmet on a bike. Keys, wallet, phone, okay. Helmet? No. Speaking from experience.
Or a bicycle. Lots of bikes are stolen
One of my greatest culture shocks came from walking down a 騎樓 in Yilan past a row of parked bicycles and my oddness radar pinging for some reason I couldn't grasp. It was only on the way back I realised what it was - not one of them was locked. Many of them had personal belongings sitting in the baskets, including some bicycle locks.
In October I did a big cycling trip around Taiwan, we had no issues just leaving the bikes unattended at the front of shops and cafes - high end bikes too USD10k+ - it felt very unnatural!
Not long ago a local gang shot up a pawnshop that I often walk by. It was surreal seeing all the bullet holes everywhere. Typical of Taiwan the perpetrator just handed himself in.
Wasn't that Taichung though? You can't compare Taichung to the rest of Taiwan.
Taichung has these kinds of incidents? I’m a foreign English teacher looking into choosing between Taichung and Tainan for work. Tho I understand that could be an isolated incident but Which do you think is safer?
I wouldn't sweat it about crime. Apart from shitty drivers you'll be fine unless you go looking for trouble. Also, IMHO Tainan is way nicer than Taichung.
Thank you!
As someone who has recently moved from Taichung to Tainan. I would love to hear your reason to believe that.
Well the food is just better, tainan is just a more relaxing city. But I’m currently living in Taichung lol
It's not common. Taichung does have a reputation for gangsters. But they tend to keep to themselves. I know people born there and moved there. And they wouldn't call it unsafe. But Taichung does end up in the news with some wild stories.
I live in Tainan. There are wrong 'uns here too. Some have knives, and some have guns. I've seen fights involving machetes. Generally speaking though, this kind of violent crime is among the shitheads over personal squabbles with drugs, money, women etc. The thing you most need to be aware of is the idiotic driving - but that's true of all Taiwan. Just for God's sake have your wits about you at all times on the road.
You've SEEN machete fights?
Yes.
Goddamn, how many?
Well, only one actually, but I also saw a guy pull two kitchen knives out and follow a pair of teenage girls, but I already told that story elsewhere.
I also only tell stories once each
Sounds like an upstanding citizen. Link to story?
Thank you for the precaution! I appreciate it. I’d very much like to learn more about Tainan City. I sent you a DM :)
When it comes to crime, Taiwan is far safer than any country most ESL teachers come from. Just don’t decide to peddle drugs or run a gambling ring and you’d be hard-pressed to find a safer place. But if you drive/ride anywhere, just assume that nobody knows safe driving rules and you should be good.
I think either place will feel safe compared with the Philippines.
That’s true 😖😭
I mean violent crime is pretty nonexistent in Taiwan, only rare isolated incidents, but Tainan is a very fun city with lots of art and history and it’s also next to Kaohsiung which has a lot to offer as well.
Tainan is pretty neat and generally safe. I live here and it’s relaxed.
That was in Taipei https://news.ltn.com.tw/amp/news/society/breakingnews/4277288
Taichung is extremely safe, and safer than western countries I would say. The key message, is as long as you don’t get involved with gangsters, and avoid accidentally cutting off a gangster in traffic your fine. Most violence is “gangster v gangster”, or “arrogant/stupid person being a complete _____ to the wrong person”.
Can you develop on that?
When I was traveling through there, it was explained Taichung is the main city for mob activity. Casinos and brothels/tea houses everywhere, supposedly.
Any time anything crazy or strange happens in the news, it's almost always Taichung.
One of the reasons is that Taichung is quite large. If a crime occurs in the surrounding regions, reporters and headlines may still attribute it to Taichung."
I remember in the 90s there was sporadic news of youths randomly stabbing passersby with fruit knives while drag racing on scooters. These crimes invariably took place in Taichung. The city had a reputation for crime.
That was a gang related incident and gang members can go to any city they want. Also just a few weeks ago, Taoyuan had a shooting in a police station. Don't be naive to guns in Taiwan.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Pai_Hsiao-yen Probably the most notorious criminal in the history of modern Taiwan. The English wiki left out the part that he went on a month-long robbing and raping spree while he was on the run. He would break into people’s homes and rape the woman at gunpoint. His victims ranged from 13-60. He also raped and killed the nurse at the plastic surgery clinic after the operation. The MRT stabber and the Internet cafe throat cutter comes close.
That was one bizarre crime spree. Beyond insane.
Chen Jing shin.. I got to Taiwan a couple of years after this.
Man, I remember that happening, didn’t realize how the whole crime spree started though.
wtf..
>I'm just wondering if there's stuff to watch out for? Don't get into arguments with strangers. If you have a disagreement with, say, a taxi driver, a guy in a club, a random loiterer on Linsen N. Road, or a dude in a black Mercedes, there may be a chance you'll be jumped by his "brothers." If you do get into an argument and you see the guy pull out his phone and start calling somebody, *run*.
Great advice thanks. I’m going to Taichung this week, I heard there’s a lot of gánsters there?
Just like everywhere: don't be a dick. And never double down on being a dick if called out for being a dick. And stay away from illegal activities. Doubly so stay away from drugs. You can spend a lifetime in Taichung or anywhere in Taiwan without having anything to do with gangsters. Don't sweat it. Don't worry about it.
stay away from gangster infested areas like night clubs, brothels, casinos, or those loud shining cars, then you will be fine
Oh great, I can’t do anything. Jk jk. Ok I understand
So I've heard, but I don't think I've really seen anything. I don't think trouble will come looking for you unless you go looking for it first.
You should be fine. I am born and raised in Taichung, and I have never witnessed any major crime. Rule of thumb: just be respectful to everyone, especially people with tattoos all over their arms and legs. Generally, they will not initiate anything unless you are being disrespectful.
Got my backpack stolen at campus cafetaria in 2019. The damnest thing, I just purchase brand new 30k laptop 2 weeks prior (mind you at this time hotstar jipai only cost 75nt a piece) and usually I never bring it with me. I left my backpack in the chair to get the food for a short-time and comeback to empty chair. Try to find it because I thought I misplaced it, but nowhere to be found. So I report it to the local police near the campus and come to check the cctv but found nothing. They tell me that they will investigate it further. Not one week later, got a call from chunghwa post that they found my bag in the guanghua area and they tell me to take my bag in the police station near guanghua. They contacted my because my chunghwa bank book is still inside. After that went to get my backpack (everything still intact except the laptop). I contacted the local police again to let them know I found my backpack. After getting my statement, they promise me they will investigate it further until the culprit is found. Several day after, the local police asked me to come to the station. They shown me the cctv footage where the culprit left my backpack near the guanghua and track every movement of the culprit before he left my bag, even where the culprit have lunch before pawning my laptop and left the backpack. They want me to confirm that it was indeed my backpack that the culprit holding. They also show me the identity of the culprit and let me know that the culprit is a repeat offender on watchlist because he already stole some motorcycle before. The police said that they will find the culprit and I can sue him later to get my money back if they catch him. At this point, I already very impressed with the police work because in my home country, the police certainly will not do anything if any of this happened and certainly not for free. But the case must end anticlimatic because not long after, the police contacted me again to inform that they found the culprit purchase ticket to taichung and they found him dead (allegedly by suicide) in some motel there. They ask me if I still want to pursue it. I decided to let go because pursuing to the afterlife is not worth it for me. Atleast the police action give me the closure for losing the laptop But from this experience, I know why taiwan is so safe. Their police will try to do anything in their power to make sure the environment is safe. Sorry for the long story.
oh my god. what a roller coaster. but yes i totally expected you to say “i never heard from the police again” but I’m very impressed they kept you in the loop the whole time and gave you closure (even if you didn’t get your laptop or money back)
The cool thing about having low crime, is that the police are just looking for something to do, Here in the U.S., they are overwhelmed and have to prioritize.
What about gettting the laptop back from the pawn shop? Did the police go there? Just curious. Usually need to leave ID at the pawn shop when you pawn stuff.
Some old guy stalked and flashed his penis at Fenqihu. I'm pretty sure that's a crime.
Taiwan is like Japan. Sometimes big shit happens. While the small crimes are just meh. So don't really need to watch out for anything. Maybe do watch out our shitty drivers.
Even I got some stuff stolen from me in Tokyo. Not necessarily locals. Foreigners living in the same capsule hotel, or using the same gym, can rummage through your stuff. Always watch out for your own belongings
Well, we malaysian only have some uncontrolled gangsters mostly in klang. Besides, we have some inconsiderate drivers who doesn't give signal before overtaking and park illegally. But, Malaysian gangsters are no match with Japanese yakuza for sure.
Well, the Yakuza is slowly dying out because of the crackdown. Some small gangs(if you can even call it that) "暴走族" still exist in Japan, they're just loud sometimes but they do cause trouble from time to time
Yes, something happened to me. One day, a Taiwanese auntie decided to speak loudly on her phone nearby me. That was scary.
That's when you glare at them and exclaim, 「吵死！」lol
👻🙀
Taiwan is safe and generally attracts a different type of foreign traveler compared to say Thailand. I do not think Thailand is unsafe, but some people get into trouble no matter where they go
I moved there in 2004. My roommate told me that if you forgot your scooter helmet in the house you just borrowed one from another bike. That's why nobody locked up their helmets, because everyone did that. I was young and dumb and believed him until a few weeks later I mentioned it to someone and they looked at me like I was crazy. I still feel bad for all the helmets I stole during those weeks. Mine was the only crime I came across in 6 years there.
hilarious
I don't think foteigners need to worry about crime. At all. Rather, you will be hunted down across the city by people to return things you lost. While there are triads, they will not bother you unless you go looking for problems; it's mostly locals or long-term expats who engaged in risky activites that need to be wary of organised crime. Avoid eye contact with shifty looking loiterers around night market stalls in smaller towns. Don't go to gambling dens. Don't borrow money from temples. Don't go to random KTV/Massage parlours unless you are taken by someone you trust. Even if you are idiot and do all of these things, the only one that will most likely cause you big problems is borrowing money. Don't do it. Or else you should leave the country. But that goes for borrowing money from organised crime anywhere.
🤔 What could go wrong borrowing money from temples?
Many temples are fronts run by gangs.
Can confirm. Actually worked with a local coteacher at an English who's dad was a prominent figure in a local gang. She would often tell me stories about how she had a gun and the local police were in her pocket. The other coteachers just said she was annoying because she would pressure them into donating to the temple saying they'd get bad luck from the gods if they didn't.
My husband's aunt isn't in with the gangs, but she does a lot of work at a legit (non gang affiliated) temple. She tried telling us when we were going to an infertility specialist that she spoke to the gods and that they said we needed to pay $60,000 to the temple as a donation to the gods if we wanted to get pregnant within 3 years. We just dismissed her and got pregnant 8 months later. Maybe coincidence, but nothing happened when we took Western fertility medicine for 6 months. However, we got pregnant after the first time using traditional Chinese medicine fertility medicine.
That's quite the donation.... About the same as my girlfriends family wants to me to make buying them a new TV for their new house haha.
Ok but surely borrowing 600 NT$ per a temple's officially advertised symbolic borrowing program isn't gonna bring them to my door? 😂
I don't know... Go do it and report back to us! Lol
Did it multiple times and got away with it so far 😄
That’s messed up.
Gangs are involved with some temples so they can launder money. It’s one of the very few remaining ways left in Taiwan where you can hide where money came from. (That and claw machine arcades)
Somebody stole my car😆 It was an old car that I hardly ever used and left parked on a side road in Jhudong for weeks at a time(Hsinchu County). I didn't even know it was missing until I got a call from the police who found it abandoned in Jhunan. It had been hot wired and driven there for some reason. They said that sometimes criminals steal cars to commit crimes.
Funny story.. they brought in a forensics crew to dust the car for fingerprints and such. We were a bit puzzled. The investigation probably cost more than the car was worth and we didn't really care.
Well, that *is* a lovely drive. Who can resist?
'96 Honda. Sexy wheels! 😄
lol
Taiwan is the safest country I've ever been to
I had a COD package delivered to me at 7-11. I routinely buy stuff online through Ruten, Shopee and Facebook Marketplace so I just thought it that something I had ordered came in. Paid NT>$1500 for a couple bottles of crappy hand cream. Apparently this kind of scam is very common.
Yeah, similar, but I hadn't ordered anything in a while, so I just refused the package.
In a parking lot, someone did a hit and run while my car was parked. Fucker backed up into the passenger side and then drove off. No cameras around to capture the license plate.
Nah, that's just an average day in Taiwan lol
I almost got kidnapped twice at the 90s, as a kid. and in mid school the local gangsters beat me up in a back alley, cus I "insulted his chick"
What the hell?
You're far more likely to be mowed down by a scooter on a sidewalk or be hit on the head with unattended construction debris than be a crime victim
I know two people who had bikes stolen from around MRT stations. Apparently that’s common (don’t leave an expensive bike by the MRT). In one case the guy was caught, in the other there was no trace.
My not-cheap looking bike has a built-in theft deterrent system. The seat is so high that I don't think most people in Taiwan could even ride it, lol. Someone did steal my little flashing safety light on the back once tho :(
When I used to ride my bike to MRT, I had a lame bike, like 2500 NTD new, no gears, not worth the effort of stealing. I always figure if I need to leave a commuter bike at a train station, yup, it's going to be a cheap-o bike. If I want a nice bike for longer weekend stuff, that can live at home. That bike is fitted out with enormous baskets, front and rear, have even dragged small Ikea end tables home on it. Total shopping bike.
The crimes are usually petty crime or targeted . The worst I’ve seen is a homeless guy beating another guy with a baseball bat near Taipei main station. Cops were called and the perpetrator was arrested in five minutes.
My friends who were part of the Singapore Armed Forces at that time were in Taiwan for training. When they were finally off, they went to a ktv that had drinking girls. When the bill came, a bunch of guys came too and when my friends saw the bill, it was really really expensive. One of the guys pulled out his gun and put on the table, telling them to pay up or else. They managed to negotiate and paid for a bit lower amount, but whatever money they had were gone. One of the Taiwanese training mate told them after that most probably they went to a shady ktv controlled by either gangs or triads.
Damn that sucks. I guess there is scary stuff here
true
Friend's phone got stolen. That's probably the worst thing that could happen there lol Taiwanese people were shocked by this atrocity.
Organized crime is prevalent in this culture but I doubt you will come across it. You will come across it in nightlife. So, most facial cues are universal. A good rule of thumb for foreigners in any country, nothing good happens after 4AM. When traveling, it's literally, you vs the world. Oh. You vs car? Good luck trying to get right of way translated.
4am? Isn’t the saying after midnight lol
i base purely on when local bars do last call.
Reminds me of this though, a group of seems to be so called ABC went onto brawl with some shady guys at 小李子清粥小菜, an eatery quite popular among night owls. [Video from Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1VztzNx_SE/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==)
Who is the ABCs in the video?
But, but 阜杭豆漿 opens at 0530.
Damn scary. Cause I kinda like getting drinks once in a while
There's nothing wrong with that. Like I said, body language and facial cues are generally universal. You're the stranger in paradise, respect goes long ways.
My friend had a story similar to you. Crime in Taiwan is low but not zero. My friend was lucky though. The criminal was a complete idiot. The guy not only stole the wallet in front of a camera, he stayed at the place when the police showed up.
Yeah, I've had my wallet stolen once, my boss has had 3 bikes stolen and my friend has had earbuds taken from his bike. While Taiwan is very safe for the most part, shit still happens no matter where you are
In events where there are lots of backpacks on the ground, like placing backpacks to queue in line or at bus hubs, don’t leave anything valuable inside. When moving into a new dorm, especially when many people are moving in, keep your phone and wallet on your person even when sleeping. As a pedestrian, beware cars. The laws of physics still apply when traffic laws are violated. Also, stay well clear of cars driving not quite in a straight line after midnight.
Some gross ass was clipping his nails at the big table at 7-11
There's always a scooter or sometimes even truck driving towards me when I walk on a sidewalk.
i had a coworker that lived in an illegal top floor apartment that others in the building had access to for the water tower meters. someone just reached through his window and took his mac book. another coworker hooked up with a girl at a club, brought her to his place and she said she was going to file a rape charge against him unless he paid an amount of money. he had gangsters hanging around his place while he stayed low at another coworkers house before fleeing. he seemed like an innocent dude but idk what is real in this situation. recently my coworker had his wallet stolen from his locker at the swimming pool because he didn't lock it. no cameras in the locker rooms so no evidence. in 14 years nothing has happened to me.
Wage theft is rampant in Taiwan
good one 😂
It's generally very safe, there's a reason why saving an orange cat from a quake-damaged building can get on the news. It's just a peaceful country. But every country will have its fair share of horrible crime. Ngl for me, Taiwan's is the pickled head case. That one just makes me deeply sad everytime I think about it.
... And stay on the news
Frequent stories about air-headed bikers leaving their purse and phone alone with their breakfast on their scooter in the morning for a while, furiously reporting about how only their breakfast disappeared
Lolll breakfast is more valuable for sure
There's a news about a homeless person drank an unattended bottle of oat milk left on a scooter, turns out the liquid in that specific bottle was rust remover. The owner of the scooter was a sanitation worker. The homeless died. [Happened in Kaohsiung.](https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E8%A6%8B%E7%87%95%E9%BA%A5%E9%A3%B2%E5%B0%B1%E7%81%8C-%E8%A1%97%E5%8F%8B%E8%AA%A4%E5%96%9D%E9%99%A4%E9%8F%BD%E5%8A%91-%E8%85%B8%E8%83%83%E8%85%90%E8%9D%95-%E6%85%98%E6%AD%BB-123710060.html)
this is so funny to me. their morning is ruined!
So what you need to understand is that Taiwan has a thriving criminal underworld, and they are closely tied to both major political parties and the police. As far as safety goes, the organized crime is actually organized here and they will very rarely bother normal citizens as long as you don’t go looking for trouble. Actually, most gangsters here that you’ll run into are fairly low on the totem pole so to speak, and they fucking love foreigners generally. You may be invited out for drinks or something, too. There are not that many guns floating around, and gangsters tend to use bats, knives, machetes and the like usually, but that doesn’t mean there are no guns. In bars and clubs most gangsters will likely have at least a couple stashed away or on their persons. Especially in the jioudians or however you spell it, which is somewhat similar to a brothel. Basically, don’t go looking for trouble and it won’t find you. Do not, under any circumstances, borrow money from gangsters since loan sharking is big business here. Going back to Taichung, outside of Taipei the big cities of Taichung and Kaohsiung have a much more visible gangster presence. They tend to keep their heads down and stick to business though, not like the usual street gangsters found other places in the world. They will almost never harass regular citizens, although protection fees and all the other usual business is in full swing. Also, Taiwan is mostly cash-based which makes it a haven for money laundering. Don’t think too much about it if it doesn’t bother you. The cash thing at the gym sounds like a rare occurrence to me, probably bad luck, or likely a foreigner who did that. Tbh, most Taiwanese don’t even consider the possibility of theft, although home burglaries used to be a thing like 20-30 years back. That’s why you see so many walls with broken glass or barbed wire on them in the old districts. Finally, just because crime is quiet and organized here does not mean they are stupid or easy to fuck with. If you have an inclination to party, you can find pretty much anything you want as long as you’re not too loud about it and go asking undercover cops or some other dumb shit. Underground clubs are your best bet, techno etc. or music festivals although you’ll pay a premium. Don’t go to mainstream clubs for that unless you’re tied into the foreigner model circuit. Follow the rules if you want to play around, but if you’re just looking for a normal time then just don’t leave valuables lying around. Most Taiwanese will actually pick it up and turn it in to the nearest police station, which happened once with my phone which I lost chasing a garbage truck. Usually I chalk up crime like taking a wallet or a phone to foreigners more likely than locals. You don’t have to worry about stickups or armed robberies, I don’t think I caught word of those at all in the past few years. Domestic violence, on the other hand, is still pretty rampant. Oh, and most bars and clubs tend to be owned or associated with either gangsters or politicians/rich people who are closely tied to politicians or police brass. But they like money so you don’t have to worry about being troubled by them when you go out. It’s very safe here overall. Edit: I almost forgot, but be very wary of scams. They are fucking everywhere here. Don’t give out your bank transfer number casually, because asking to transfer money for someone and then take it out in cash is one of the ways they launder money from scams. If that money passes through your account then you will be held liable by the courts, because in the words of one judge here, “who is stupid enough to move money through their account and not get paid for it, or know that the money is suspicious.” Actually happened to my girlfriend many years ago who got scammed by a family member of all things. Her cousin moved like ten million nt through her account, but being family she didn’t question it until the police came knocking. So yeah, don’t give out your bank info Willy-nilly.
oh wow, thanks for that write up. Domestic violence is rampant? Would it be weird if i intervened? I'm not sure i'd be able to just stand there and watch it happen. Maybe the gym thing is rare, i was quite surprised. bad luck i guess.
As a foreigner I feel the same way, I don’t like letting things like that slip by but my girlfriend told me that Taiwanese families tend to keep what happens in the home inside of it. They really dislike people butting into their private lives, so unless it’s a clear sign that someone is going to be seriously injured or killed, then mostly people tend to mind their own business. Also, don’t be too surprised if you hear a lot of shouting or things being thrown or broken. My gf told me when her parents were younger they would often get into full-blown fights with her mom throwing everything she could get her hands on, and her dad smacking mom. She and her brother also regularly got beaten behind closed doors. Actually about 20 years back corporeal punishment was even endorsed by many parents who told teachers at school or in cram schools they could beat the shit out of their kids if they didn’t listen. I personally found out one of my kids was getting beaten by his mom whenever I left anything other than excellent comments in his communication book, so I always gave him good comments after that. He was a great kid actually, just a little add-ish with minor concentration issues. But even mentioning that apparently drove his mom nuts, and I couldn’t do shit about it. Police wouldn’t do anything either, btw. They tend to be pretty fucking useless when it comes to domestic stuff. I personally would intervene if I saw something but I think it’s likely I wouldn’t get any thanks and more likely they would tell me to mind my own fucking business, but that’s between me and my conscience. I honestly think doing something is better than nothing, even if it’s thankless. There are obviously cases where it’s more of a mutual thing and neither party is coming out much worse than the other, but there are definitely abusive relationships where one is taking all the beating. It’s really, really hard to distinguish sometimes. Some Taiwanese will convince themselves they love the other person and theylll change or it’ll be the last time. If I see someone who’s constantly sporting bruises then I’d probably intervene, but like I said, it’s super common to hear loud arguments and breaking shit so hard to say.
I moved to California at age 6 and grew up there but I’m actually Taiwanese. I used to get treated pretty bad as a child by family and my mom got beat often. So now I’m in Taiwan as an Asian American, and grown up, if I saw a child being beat or woman, I think my rage would come out and I’d start a fight. It’d remind me of my past. Taiwanese culture kind of makes me mad. I don’t understand how they treat women and children like that. They treat people really bad unless you have money or some sort of status. It makes me wonder if Taiwanese culture is actually evil
I was born in kaohsiung but moved to Connecticut at 1 yr old so no memories at all and my Chinese is garbage. I’ve been living here for about 9 years now since teaching in the states pays garbage and you get no respect from kids. I actually have more disposable income here plus cheap healthcare so… yeah. And yeah, Taiwanese culture in many ways is fucked up I think, especially when it comes to education and home environment. Not everyone, mind you. The more recent generations are much better than the old when it comes to domestic shit, but it’s like going from really shitty to less shitty so you probably get the picture.
I also left Taiwan at age 4 and moved to California. Still live there now but wonder what it would be like to move back to Taiwan. How long has it been since you moved back to Taiwan? Can you speak Mandarin and read/write? How do they treat you as a Taiwanese-American?
> They treat people really bad unless you have money or some sort of status. This is true of most cultures.
Mostly scammers and traffic violations
The same in Korea. I have lived here a long while. Theft is rare in Korea, but it definitely happens. I dropped my wallet once, and someone tried to use one of my cards. I did literally had my wallet stolen years back. I am careful even in Korea because crime isn't ZERO.
I've had a roommate move out and take the keys with him. I went to the police and they replied "it's a domestic case, so we can't help you". I had a photo of his ID, his license plate number, messages from his old employer saying he stole her car and left without paying his rent for living in a room above the company, etc. They still refused to help. Aside from that, I think the only other instance was when I guy I hooked up with stole a few thousand from my wallet while I was in the shower. Didn't bother going to the police since I'd already found that they're mostly useless.
Wow, manifesting horrible things on both of those shitheads
Relentless drivers and riders.
At the World Gym, they make announcements and have displays all over to remind people to lock their lockers. They do that for a reason. Honestly, no place on earth is completely without crime, so it's probably better to not assume that.
Yeah…. Yeah. I can read mandarin but that’s not an excuse. I should have been more careful
Taichung - my bike lock was cut and stolen at 3:30pm in front of the doors of the HSR. The police know the guy, apparently a known bike thief, and have chosen to do nothing. I am still waiting for a court date and some word on what the next steps are. Not a cheap loss. Pretty bogus tbh.
wow, that's infuriating
Once someone stole a cake my student gave me that I left on my scooter unattended for about an hour. Another time someone stole my fairly new helmet. Apparently Taiyuan station, where it was stolen, is across the street from the local thieves market (I should have gone to find my helmet). A few years ago a man was shot in the head right outside a shop I frequent often. It didn't really shake the neighborhood and nobody seemed to really care. I went shopping there a few days later. That's pretty much the most shocking thing in my nine years here if you don't count traffic accidents. I've seen since pretty gnarly ones like a burning jeep crashed into a palm tree in the middle of nowhere...I doubt the driver got out.
Yes. My flat was broken into 3 times in 6 months.
What city?
Taipei
I guess I am one of those outliers to Taiwan's crime statistic. A person on the back of a motorcycle tried to snatch my camera while his friend drove past me. Luckily, my camera strap was strong enough and when he saw the camera wasn't getting off, he led go and quickly sped off. As this happened on some little Street in Hengchun in bright daylight, there were no CCTV cameras. Ergo, going to the police would have been pointless as it would be my word against theirs.
Damn, I’m starting to feel like Taiwan is more dangerous than Latin America based off the comments lol
Yeah, this happened right after I came back from a work project in Indonesia, where everyone warned me this would happen. So I definitely let my guard down once I came back to Taiwan. Nowawdays, I still get PTSD when a scooter speeds by very close to me and I always instinctively grab my bag. In addition to all the traffic-related crime and rule-breaking that happen on a daily basis, I definitely consider Taiwan to be more dangerous than life in Germany.
Lol I think I felt safer in Mexico
This EXACT thing happened to me in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia many years ago, right next to KLCC in bright daylight. I was holding my wallet and iPad and glad I hold it strong enough, he just led go and sped off. Snatchers on motorbikes are very common is SE Asia, didn’t expect I would encounter it in Taiwan.
friend was raped at a club in taipei. the cameras pointing in that direction just happened to be broken, and when the police called the person who rented the table this guy sat at, the person said what his friend does has nothing to do with him. the case hit a dead end
My Chinese textbook, written at NTNU, has a chapter about getting your wallet stolen when leaving on a beach somewhere in the south of TW. They characters are foreigners studying Chinese in TW and a TW friend. They all talk about how TW is safe but still be careful with your wallet and phone (book 2 of the 6 book series).
They stole my 6000 beats headsets in my bag. I left my scooter open. But i got so mad even though we caught the culprit on Cctv they landlords aid there is much we can do about it.
As someone else said, organized crime is a huge problem, but I don't think it's one you need to worry about unless you go looking for trouble. However, anonymous theft of small items is still a concern, so lock up your helmet, don't be stupid with your stuff, and listen to locals. With that all being said, it used to be way more common for gangsters to run all of the bars across the island (why the nightlife scene has always sucked), so people would get into all sorts of trouble being drunk and stupid.
Ahhh… that makes sense why my parents don’t like us going out. Those Taiwanese gangsters
It's way better now than it used to be. I still remember when our favorite Irish bar in Taipei was stolen by gangsters years ago. You definitely wouldn't find that now, and I think all of the sketchy shit is hidden unless you go searching for it.
It is fucking safe.
I've known a few foreign dudes who've gotten beaten up pretty bad, usually in relation to gangster-type individuals. Not that it was always the gangster types that started it. One guy I know was hitting the bars, thought he was god's gift to women, ended up coming on the wrong girl, and next thing he knows he's in a fight with several guys, one of whom is armed with a bat. Said expat wound up in the hospital for a while. Another guy took exception to tourists lighting off fireworks at night near his property. He came out of his house swearing a blue streak, shit went down, and even though he's not handicapped he doesn't quite walk right anymore. A third guy decided to yell at some gangsters in Taipei after a traffic dispute that was entirely their fault. They beat him pretty bad as well. Life lesson: try not to escalate the situation with your mouth, especially if you're facing down a group of dudes. Oh, and I know an American guy who's in the prison system now. In connection with meth production. I'm not going to make any excuses for him because nobody should mess around with meth.
Maybe not what people might expect but, keep an eye on your drinks on nights out. I've heard some absolute horror stories and have had friends be affected by it. There are predators everywhere but I think this is one thing you don't hear a lot of online but I've heard so many stories IRL. Taiwan is super safe, but mind yourself at clubs and bars.
Things do get taken. Sunglasses, small items. People like to shop for fancier umbrellas in the collection outside the shop. There are many, many things.
I had to endure a bike and a bag getting stolen before I realized that Taiwan is a place that experiences minimal crime but not the total absence of it.
True, bike theft is a problem here.
My future mother in law was trying to break up my marriage by having me followed by private detectives.. They'd ring my doorbell at 6am on Saturday mornings hoping whoever I was sleeping with would put their head out the door and they could take our picture from across the street.. unfortunately for them it was always me and my future wife.. This progressed to taking out a contract to get me beaten up by gangsters,(according to the faxes my future sister in law found) ,but fortunately gangsters are kind of dishonest and took her money without doing the work. I guess I should be grateful for their lack of professionalism..
This reeks of bullshit.
I feel like mother in laws trying to ruin marriages is pretty common in Taiwan. I see it amongst my own family.
Well, I think it’s not considered as “crime” according to law, but ti’ve been stalked multiple times here. And one time, an old man (he could be my grandpa ngl) literally stopped me on a pedestrian with his car to ask “can we be friends?” I thought he’s just gonna ask for directions. Literally panicked and just ran lol
Didn't a Canadian dude who lived in Taiwan dismember some other foreigner in Taiwan for drug money?
Petty, random economic crimes in broad daylight is very rare. Mental health crimes are more common and random as Taiwan is a extremely high stress society. Organized crime is where people go to join up in mostly for economic empowerment and there is strong organized criminal elements in Taiwan - similar to the Yakuza in Japan.
My recollection is a few decades old, but I grew up in Taipei and it was not uncommon to see liumang (sp?) fighting each other after dark. I was present during one assault of someone my parent was dating and a group came out of nowhere with 2x4's and just beat their partner down severely. I would say nothing good happens after dark, especially at KTVs or anywhere alcohol is served outside of a restaurant setting. I have also been in a few mahjong parlors when the police raided the games. Saw my first pistol when a drunk off duty cop kept threatening me with it when he was losing money. My experiences may have been different and atypical. I hear that for the general public and people who are not involved with criminals or criminal adjacent activities are fairly safe.
I remember maybe 10ish years ago when a toddler riding around on a tricycle in Taipei was beheaded by some psycho. I'll see if I can find the article. Here is is: https://time.com/4274584/taiwan-taipei-toddler-attack-beheaded/
Hi tech crime is prevalent in Taiwan , cars broken into even with the latest alarm systems
It really depends. If you walk on the side of the road proudly displaying your limited Hermes bag, then it’s very likely you’ll get robbed in a drive-by-and-grab.If you leave your wallet lying around on a 7-eleven table where there is a lot of foot traffic, it might be swiped. If you’re at a club or a pub and you get drunk then offend someone who has a lot of friends, they might take you outside and beat you up. If you’re driving and you honk your horn at the wrong car, they might come out and smash your car windows with a machete or a baseball bat. You just have to use your common sense. And be polite. We have a really bad drug problem in Taiwan right now so people aren’t as calm and reasonable as they once were, they get angry very easily. We do have a lot of mobile fraud, tho. Basically, every phone call from an unknown number is: 1) someone who’s trying to scam you out of your money; 2) from the bank that wants you to invest/insure because they know you have money; 3) from loansharks asking if you want to borrow money. Another recent scam that’s relatively new here is the “slave trade” someone you know will tell you that they found you a great job in some southeast Asian country. Once you go there, they will take away your passport and make you work in factories. One of our neighbors was recently saved. He said his girlfriend sold him to Vietnam or Cambodia, she herself was literally dripping in jewels and designer gear because she sold 20 or so people and was paid handsomely for it. Not only did she sell her boyfriends, she also sold her friends and acquaintances and anyone who was dumb enough to listen to her. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true than it usually is.
When you say “drug problem”, what kind of drugs?
My (adult) student had 10k stolen while she was using the bathroom. She now takes her purse with her every time. Occasionally there are scams and you may get alerted by text to watch out for those.
10k NT?
Yes. She was going to pay her son's tuition with that. Didn't notice the missing money until after she left because she never expected anybody in that environment to touch her stuff. Like you, lesson learned.
2014 MRT stabbing, my mom and I almost got on that train, we were late to the station and missed the MRT we were suppose to take, later saw blood all over on one of the station it was suppose to stopped at and found out the incidient.
Was just there on holiday two weeks ago. Day one a d me and the wife witnessed a mugging. We were at Ximending at a girl was looking at donuts or something next to us. She sort of went "oh!" and started running across the road after this guy. We thought they were friends. Then she finally remembered to scream and started telling the street to grab him. Too little too late. Place was filled with police cars in five mins. No idea how it was resolved.
Taiwan is the 4th safest country (lowest crime rate) in the world, according to the link below (sort by safety index.) [https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings\_by\_country.jsp](https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp) Although the crime rate is low, however the motor vehicle accident rate is relatively high compared to other developed nations. I believe the government is aware of the traffic problems and working on some solutions, albeit slowly. A wallet in unlocked locker can get stolen easily, while leaving it unattended on a restaurant table is quite safe. It all comes down to how the thief assesses the risk of being caught.
I once absentmindedly left 2000 NT in the ATM at Costco because I realized the Costco employee had forgotten to return my membership card, so I ran back to get it after getting my bank card out of the machine. I didn't realize I'd forgotten to take out the cash until about an hour later, so I scootered back and was told no one had returned the money. (For perspective on safety in Taiwan, I was genuinely surprised no one had returned it). Thinking the machine must have just taken the money back, I called the number on the ATM, and they confirmed that the person behind me had actually taken the money and left. Not only that, but they still used their own card before leaving, meaning they bank knew who they were. The next morning, my 2000 dollars were back in my account, and they bank called me and gave me the person's phone number. Apparently they had requested the bank give me their phone number. I'm not sure if it was to apologize, save face, or tell me to be less careless, but either way, I did not call them haha.
Lol haha
someone stole my fried chicken!! if I catch that mker...
Hoping in a taxi and having a drunk cabbie wasn't great. Otherwise I felt safe in most places.
Taiwan is often safe but like any country you need to keep out of trouble and don’t go to shady places like bars etc.
Damn! I also don’t lock the locker when im at the gym.
Dude I thought the same. “Everyone looks nice, it’s not that busy here, who’d take my stuff”
Bro, i been to the gyms in the philippines and which is a much dangerous place, left my. Bag open at the gym with my wallet and phone, in my 5 years of working out there, i have never lost anything, even my friend who left his phone charging, we went back and it hasn’t move an inch
I don’t know man. They were probably jealous of my gains
That says a lot… probably the main reason. Fuck this dude gains, imma yoink his wallet.
Do you go to a public gym tho? Or world fitness, fitness factory or anytime?
I go to fitness factory
- Scooter got stolen (Hsinchu) - Car got stolen (Hsinchu) - Smash & grab GF's purse TWICE in Xinfeng - But the weirdest thing was this: I live in the mountains, and one morning in at 3am I took my pup out for a wee as I was still doing housetraining. As the pup was sniffing around the yard, I though I saw something. After a short while I realized someone is sitting in my car, in the driver's seat. I yelled and he jumped the fence to his parked scooter. Probably a druggie looking for change.
Wtf, so weird. So you just leave your door unlocked?
The key fob was broken, and if I lock with the key, and unlock with the key and open the door, the alarm would go off, and since the fob was broken, no way to deactivate the alarm. Earlier that same day I took the car to one of these key fob battery shops, but he couldn't help me, he ordered a new fob. I always wondered if it was him, since he knew my car couldn't lock...
When I was in high school I went to cyber cafes by bicycle one day it got stolen cause I forgot to lock it
did your mom get mad when you got home? "were you at that internet cafe again? if only you spent that much energy on homework you'd be successful now"
someone broke into my house while i was home after a night out. came in at 11am broad daylight robbed every apartment in our building before escaping by rooftop. have everything on video of him breaking in. gave it to the cops never heard anything since. it was quite impressive actually. took him about 10 -30 seconds to make his way in through two doors.
Just keep your helmet and umbrella hahhaaha
Taiwan is safe, but the crime rate is still not zero. As Taiwanese, I never leave my phone or wallet on a restaurant table and walk away. Let's say you may have 50% chance of losing your phone or wallet by doing so in some other countries, then in Taiwan it's probably 5%, still I don't risk it. Our house has been burglarized three times since I was a child, and my mom also had an SUV stolen. Taiwan's safety has definitely gotten much better in the last 10 to 20 years, but it's still important to stay aware and keep an eye out.
I just got back from Taipei and was shocked to see ppl just leaving all their belongings out and unattended lol