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'
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
RSS