Police yesterday were searching for a Taichung gangster after he recorded a video and sent it to a local TV news station swearing to avenge the death of a gang boss.
In the video, Chou Cheng-pao (周政保), 33, threatened to shoot rival "gangster" Liu Jui-jung (劉瑞榮).
Chou, a member of the Celestial Way Gang, stood next to a table with a number of pistols and rifles. In the video he admitted to being behind three recent shooting incidents in the Taichung area.
Wounded
Liu was slightly wounded in a recent shooting at his Taichung residence. Later, a hostess bar and a massage shop owned by Liu had their windows shot out.
Chou alleged that Liu's gang members were responsible for last week's death of gangster Lin Chen-hsing (林振興).
Lin, a member of notorious kidnapper Chang Hsi-ming's (張錫銘) crime ring and a gang "boss" in the Taichung area, was shot to death while drinking with friends at a teashop.
A man wearing a helmet burst into the shop and opened fire, hitting Lin with five bullets.
Chou called Liu a "chicken" in the film, saying Liu was behind Lin's death.
He said he would shoot Liu when he next saw him.
National Police Agency Director-General Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday he could not tolerate a gangster issuing such a public challenge to law and order.
`A nobody'
"Chou is a nobody but alleges that he is a big gangster," Hou added.
He said the video was probably filmed in a motel.
Hou dispatched a group of special police to arrest Chou.
Police yesterday afternoon raided and searched a residence in Taichung that Chou was believed to frequent.
Police arrested two men and a woman at the home and took them to a police station for questioning, adding the three were suspected to be friends of Chou.
Minister of the Interior Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) yesterday told a legislative meeting that police nationwide would launch a crackdown on gangster rings in response to criticism from legislators that the nation's security situation had worsened.
also see story:
Legislators slam officials, premier over `crime wave'
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source