A Spanish citizen was arrested by the Taiwanese authorities after being suspected of carrying out an act of vandalism at the historic Shilin Cixian temple in Taipei.
According to police reports, the individual is suspected of using lacquer thinner to damage a painting on the doors of the temple.
The police received a complaint this Monday at 02:00 local time (18:00 in Spain) about a possible act of vandalism in the compound of the island capital.
Upon arriving at the scene, they found the suspect, a 53-year-old man of Spanish nationality, cleaning the doors of the temple with lacquer thinner, which damaged the paint.
The suspect told law enforcement authorities that, after having been drinking at his residence, he went out for a walk and noticed the disrepair of the doors and decided to clean them.
The individual, whose identity has not been released, works as an artist and has been involved in restoring paintings in various temples in different parts of Taiwan.
The head of the local police station stressed that the damage caused to the cultural artifact “has no justification” and therefore “must have legal consequences.” Authorities are conducting a full investigation into the incident and its circumstances.
Under island law, cultural damage can result in a prison sentence of 6 months to 5 years and a fine of between 500,000 and 20 million New Taiwan dollars (15,652 and 626,105 dollars, 14,292 and 571,696 euros).
Shilin Cixian Temple, founded in 1796 and dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu, is a place of great historical and cultural importance in Taiwan.
The compound is home to many works of art and historical artifacts, including the damaged painting on the temple gates, which was done by artist Chen Yu-feng in 1960.
