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'
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS