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Austrian daredevil barred from re-entry: NIA official

Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian skydiver who jumped from the top of Taipei 101 on Tuesday, has been barred from re-entering the country, National Immigration Agency Deputy Director Steve Wu (吳學燕) said yesterday in a news release.

Baumgartner arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 6, saying the purpose of his trip was "tourism," Wu said.

Wu said Baumgartner's parachute jump on Tuesday violated a clause in the Immigration Law (出入國及移民法) that prohibits "any activity that may be harmful to national interests, public safety, public order or social norms."

"Baumgartner engaged in activities different from those he declared" when entering the country, Wu said.

After consultations with the National Police Agency and the National Fire Agency, "we have decided to bar him from future entry into the country," Wu said.

Meanwhile, Taipei 101 has stepped up security checks.

"We have increased the frequency of patrols of the observation deck and are barring people from taking large bags to the observation deck," said Michael Liu (劉家豪), an assistant vice president at Taipei 101.

Liu said the guards who failed to prevent Baumgartner from climbing over the 3m high railing on the observation deck would be disciplined.

"We will penalize the security personnel according to the measures outlined in our contract with the security firm," Liu told the Taipei Times, adding that the penalty had not yet been decided.

The 38-year-old Austrian daredevil -- who has parachuted off skyscrapers around the world -- said he had wanted to jump off Taipei 101 since it was completed in 2004.

"He prepared himself for one year," his spokeswoman in Vienna said.

With the help of colleagues, he hid his parachute inside the ceiling of a toilet on the 91st floor. He inspected the building's security system and the observation deck for five days, waiting for the right wind conditions.

On Tuesday, the weather conditions were right. Baumgartner had hired breakdancers to perform on the observation deck and two women to chat with the security guards to distract them.

He climbed over the railing on the upper deak, walked out onto a ledge and jumped, landing on the roof of a parking garage. He then ran to a waiting taxi, went to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and was on a flight to Hong Kong two hours later.

Local media said Taipei 101 officials did not know about the jump until two hours after it took place.

Taipei City police said they would file a charge of endangering public safety against Baumgartner. The charge carries a maximum prison term of five years.
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