Andrew Chiang (蔣友青), the grandson of former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), was indicted yesterday for allegedly making threats against Taipei American School (TAS) and its vice principal.
The 23-year-old son of Chiang Ching-kuo’s youngest son, Chiang Hsiao-yung (蔣孝勇), was charged with disturbing public peace and threatening to cause injury to others, according to Article 151 and Article 305 of the Criminal Code, Shihlin District Prosecutors’ Office spokesperson Su Pei-yu (蘇佩鈺) said.
He was accused of making several comments allegedly disseminated via Facebook and e-mail since August stating his intention to do harm to the school, and especially its administrators.
In his comments, Andrew Chiang, a former TAS student, apparently threatened to kill the entire school staff and place bombs in the school.
The Shihlin District Court released Andrew Chiang on bail of NT$80,000 (US$2,700) on Nov. 8 and issued a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting and harassing staff or students of the school as well as witnesses.
Andrew Chiang said the school “slandered” him and “blew his words out of proportion” after he got into an argument with the school over a sports injury he sustained while a student there.
The youngest of three sons of Chiang Hsiao-yung and Chiang Fang Chi-yi (蔣方智怡), a current member of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Committee, Andrew Chiang was born in 1990 in Canada, the country his parents emigrated to after Chiang Ching-kuo died in early 1988.
Andrew Chiang has spent most of his life in the US and had only appeared in the news when attending weddings or funerals in Taiwan, including his grandmother Chiang Fang-liang’s (蔣方良) funeral in 2004.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned