Taiwanese tourist Chang An-wei (張安薇), who was abducted from a Pom Pom Island resort in Malaysia on Nov. 15, has been rescued, Taiwan’s representative to the country Lo Yu-chung (羅由中) confirmed last night.
Malaysian police authorities informed the representative office that Chang was rescued by the armed forces of the Philippines, and she has been sent to a hospital for health checks and treatment, Lo said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) told a press conference at 7pm that he heard the news in the morning.
Photo: CNA
While Chang is in extreme shock and suffers from allergies caused by mosquito bites, she is safe and sound, Tsai added.
Tsai declined to reveal details about the rescue operation and negotiations on a ransom due to concerns over the safety of people involved in the mission.
Earlier yesterday morning, Tsai posted a photograph of Chang on his Facebook page, with messages wishing her early return, but he withdrew the photograph later.
According to reports in Malaysia, Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar tweeted the news, saying Chang was rescued from islands in Sulu Province, southwestern Philippines, and has been admitted to the Merin Hospital in the province.
In his tweet at 5:15pm, Khalid said Chang will be flown to the Zamboanga Hospital tomorrow for a medical checkup.
Taiwanese businessman Hsu Li-min (許立民), who had accompanied the 58-year-old Chang on the resort island, was shot dead when the suspected Abu Sayyaf terrorists, a Philippine Islamist group, attacked Pom Pom Island.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from