A mentally ill man who attempted to hijack a Chinese airliner to Taiwan using fruit knives has been sentenced to four years in prison, state media and a court official said yesterday.
Former firefighter Pan Huaxing suffered a "slight mental aberration" at the time of his May 10 hijacking attempt, said a spokesman for the Huli District Court in Xiamen. That condition and the limited harm caused by the attempt won him a reduced sentence following the trial Friday, said the spokesman, who identified himself only as Mr. Luo.
Others who have attempted to hijack Chinese passenger planes have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
The Xinhua News Agency said Pan boarded a flight from Shenzhen to Xiamen with a pair of knives stuffed in his socks. After takeoff, he rushed toward the cockpit and pressed one of the knives against a stewardess' chest. Pan demanded the flight be diverted to Taiwan.
Another flight attendant and passengers overpowered Pan and seized the knives, Xinhua said.
The report said Pan was angry at being dismissed from his firefighting job in Shenzhen after a substandard performance rating. It said he had hoped to present a rambling two-page complaint letter found on him to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) .
The Xinhua report was apparently the first official mention of the attempted hijacking. Luo, the court official, declined to say whether the incident had deliberately been kept secret.
A number of Chinese planes were hijacked to Taiwan during the mid-1990s by people claiming to be seeking greater freedom. The incidents largely ceased after Taiwan imprisoned the hijackers and Chinese airports tightened security.
RSS