Expats reassured of Taiwan safety after shocking Taipei murder

The close-knit expat community in Taipei has been hard hit by the shocking murder of Canadian English teacher Ramgahan Ryan.

The story, enhanced in the media by the revelation the victim was also a small-time dealer in illegal drugs, has cast doubts as to the safety of English-speaking expats in Taiwan, even although violent crime is a rare occurrence on the island. Taipei’s expatriate community is small by comparison to others in mainland China, but everyone knows everyone else, including the two men suspected of the killing, Oren Mayer and Ewart Bent.

Foreigners living and working in Taipei are being reminded that the city and country are frequently at the top of survey lists for safety and security, as illustrated by last year’s ranking in one study as the third-safest world city. If violent crime does occur, it’s normally related to Chinese triads and similar gangs, with victims usually part of the same criminal hierarchy. Should these crimes be taken out of statistics, Taiwan would be giving the safest countries such as Japan, Singapore and several cities in Scandinavia a serious run for their money.

Put simply, crime is not a major social problem in Taiwan but, even in the safest world cities, isolated fatal incidents do happen. According to statistics, the fear of crime amongst the population is high, but the incidence of crime is very, very low. Expats are being urged not to become complacent, but also not to allow this isolated murder to tarnish their perceptions of the capital and the country. For expat professionals considering or even preparing to take up jobs in Taipei, there’s no need to worry unless recreational drugs are part of your expat lifestyle.