Entertainment firm, 3 people indicted over death of construction worker

Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) An entertainment company, its head, and two other people were indicted Monday on manslaughter charges in the case of a worker who fell to his death on a construction site in Taipei last December.

On Dec. 25 last year, the worker fell to his death from a scaffold about 18 meters above ground during the construction of a stage for New Year's Eve celebrations organized by the city government, according to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

The company, Enjoy Music Entertainment Co., its head surnamed Kang (康), and two others involved in the project were indicted on manslaughter charges linked to negligence, because the worker was not wearing a safety harness, prosecutors said, citing the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The other two people charged in the case were the construction site manager surnamed Lee (李) and the event manager surnamed Huang (黃), according to prosecutors.

The deceased worker, Lawai Arik, was a member of the Indigenous community and the lead singer in the rock band Ark of Redemption.

In January, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) pledged to hold accountable those responsible for Lawai's death due to negligence, including failure to ensure the use of safety harnesses for all workers on the construction site, as found by the city's Labor Inspection Office.