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Presidential guard commits suicide at Chen's residence

A security guard on duty outside President Chen Shui-bian's presidential residence committed suicide yesterday morning, triggering a brief security alert.

The National Security Bureau (NSB) identified the guard as Military Police Captain Lu Tseng-hsiang (陸增祥). It said that Lu, 27, shot himself at 8:35am.

He was rushed to the National Taiwan University Hospital for treatment. Doctors worked on Lu for several hours even though they believed that he was dead on arrival. He was pronounced dead at 12:20pm.

"A preliminary investigation suggests that Lu shot himself because of personal romantic problems," the bureau said in a statement.

There were no witnesses near the guard booth at the time of the incident, although the NSB said Lu had been seen talking on his cellphone a few minutes earlier.

Colleagues said Lu had looked "upset" and "depressed" during the phone conversation. A few minutes later, a loud "bang" was heard and Lu was found on the ground in a pool of blood.

The bureau said it tightened security around the presidential residence after the incident. Members of the first family were inside at the time. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) left the building at 8:45am.

The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office sent prosecutors to the scene to investigate. Lu's girlfriend may be questioned to try to determine his frame of mind, the bureau statement said.

Chen refused to comment on the incident. Presidential Office spokesman David Lee (李南陽), however, said Chen had been notified immediately about the incident and that he had sent his condolences to Lu's family.

Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and AP
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