The perpetrators of eight bomb attacks were called "terrorists" by police yesterday after they sent threatening letters to the Executive Yuan, Council of Agriculture and a local newspaper on Friday night.
The group known as the "rice bombers" admitted responsibility for a bomb attack on a train from Keelung to Chunan last Monday as well as seven attacks in Taipei City since Oct. 27 last year.
In their letters the bombers claimed the aim of the campaign was to force the government to stop importing rice and protect local rice farmers.
To convince the police of the genuineness of their letters, the "rice bombers" also appended some explosive powder and, as usual, left behind a small packet of rice along with the explosives.
Until yesterday police had thought the bomb attacks the work of a single individual; now they believe them to be the work of a group.
The police said that they were trying to trace from where the letters had been sent as well as testing the letters for fingerprints.
"This case is totally different than the bomb threats toward nine high-profile buildings the other day. That guy was a psycho," said Sandy Yeh (葉毓蘭), who is the director of the Continuing Education and Training Center of the Central Police University.
"These `rice bombers,' however, are definitely demanding something though their behavior could be regarded as terrorism," he said.
Yeh was referring to a 45-year-old Chu Tsung-yun (
Chu was arrested at his Nankang home within 24 hours but he told the police that "his brain waves were controlled by government agents so he could not control his behavior at times."
On the other hand, the "rice bombers" have made real bombs and have placed them in public places.
The bombing spree began in Ta-an Forest Park on Oct. 27 and continued on Nov. 13, when a bomb was found in one of the park's men's rest rooms.
On Nov. 22, another bomb was discovered in front of the Ministry of Finance's Financial Data Center.
On Dec. 2, a fourth bomb was discovered in the Kuting MRT station and on Dec. 10 and Dec. 23, a further two bombs appeared at Taipei's Hsinsheng Park and Yucheng Park.
All of these bombs were successfully disarmed by the police and caused no injuries.
"[The rice bombers'] behavior fits the description of terrorism quite well," said Yeh. "Terrorists are always a small group of people and they always try to damage some important sites and hope that by such means their voices will be heard."
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