Suspect in threat against first family released on bail

The Taipei District Court yesterday rejected the prosecution's request to detain a former agent of the Investigation Bureau who was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly sending threatening mails to the first family and a number of legislators and government officials.

Yang Ching-hai (楊清海), 58, was released last night on NT$100,000 bail. He was arrested on Tuesday at his residence in Taipei County, where police also found two pistols and 45 bullets.

Police said that Yang had sent a postcard threatening to sexually assault President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) daughter and to kidnap his grandsons.

Taipei District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Lin Ching-tsun (林錦村) told reporters yesterday that the prosecution had applied for Yang's detention because he posed a risk to politicians he had threatened. Lin said Yang had admitted to sending a number of threatening letters.

Yang's girlfriend, Ting Yi-chih (丁一芝), who allegedly assisted Yang in writing the letters, was also released on NT$100,000 bail.

Lin said Yang and Ting would be charged with threatening and obstructing a person's safety. Yang would also be charged with violating the Guns, Explosives and Knives Control Act.

Police said that in addition to threatening the first family, since 2005 Yang had also sent threatening letters to Ministry of Education Secretary-General Chuang Kuo-rong (莊國榮) and more than 30 legislators, elected officials and government officials.

They said Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) had received threatening letters in 2005 and that the handwriting on both letters matched Yang's.

Approached by reporters on his way from a jail in Taipei to the prosecutors' office, Yang denied threatening the president, but acknowledged having sent the parcels containing bullets.

"I just wanted lawmakers to do more for the public," he said. "Lawmakers and media are the two sources of chaos in society."

The bureau said in a statement on Tuesday that Yang left his job at the bureau in 1988 and that it had no information about his activities since that time.

Prosecutors said late last night they had filed an appeal for Yang's detention.

Additional reporting by CNA and AP