HONG KONG: Police have arrested a man in connection with the beating death of his 2-year-old daughter in Taiwan's Kaoshiung county.

The toddler, unconscious, was rushed to hospital after her mother called the emergency hotline on Tuesday afternoon. Medical treatment failed to revive the little girl.

Police arrested the girl's father, surnamed Chang.

Police said the suspect told them he had beaten his daughter with a broomstick because she was too noisy playing with water in the bathroom. Then, police quoted him as saying he had bound the girl to her bed before leaving for work.

Chang's wife told officers that she set the girl free after waking from nap at 4 pm. She took a shower because the girl looked fine. But after the shower, she found the girl collapsed on the floor.

Police noted the accounts of the two parents are not corroborative. The mother is being treated as a witness.

After attending a preliminary postmortem yesterday, district prosecutor Chung Chuh-sheng said injuries on the girl's body appeared to be more severe than what would have been caused by the beating described by the man. But no immediate cause of death could be determined during a preliminary investigation.

The girl's death occurred on the same day a 10-month-old infant died in hospital. Police allege her father dropped her in boiling water. The infant's father named Huang now is charged with homicide and could face the death penalty.

Child welfare groups held a joint press conference in Taipei yesterday, calling for the adoption of more child-protection measures. One suggestion is for legislation requiring neighborhood magistrates and community organizers to report high-risk situations, said Abby Chen, Director of the Resources Development Department of Taiwan's Child Welfare League Foundation.

Passage of such legislation not only would place grassroots civil servants under obligation to remain alert but would also raise community awareness of child abuse.

Through efforts such as lobbying for legislation, "we want people to realize children do not just belong to their parents. All of us should watch out for their safety. Because we don't report, we are indirectly responsible for the deaths," she said.

(HK Edition 04/23/2009 page1)