Two men yesterday threw rocks at the front door of the building housing the Ill-Gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, shattering the glass and prompting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) to say that the committee should operate in “a rational and legal” manner to prevent public backlashes.
Speaking on the sidelines of an afternoon tea with China-based Taiwanese businesspeople at the KMT’s headquarters in Taipei, Hung said the committee could trigger public resistance or radical acts because of the “illegitimate manner” in which it has dealt with political parties’ assets.
“We are of the opinion that any committee should handle matters logically, rationally and legally so it does not trigger too much of a public backlash,” Hung said after reporters’ asked if the incident could drive a greater wedge between the pan-blue and pan-green camps over the thorny issue of the KMT’s ill-gotten assets.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Police said two middle-aged men riding bicycles threw stones at the Songjiang Road building housing the committee at about 11:25am.
“We have reviewed the surveillance video and found that the two men fled toward Lane 85 of Songjiang Road immediately after the attack… We are working to apprehend the suspects as soon as possible,” said Lien Ming-chi (連銘棋), assistant supervisor of the investigation team of the Taipei City Police Department’s Zhongshan Precinct.
The pair were dressed like homeless people and appeared to be in their 40s or 50s, Lien said.
Late last night, police said they had arrested one suspect.
The incident was an “irrational act,” committee spokeswoman Shih Chin-fang (施錦芳) said as she urged the public to treat public affairs rationally.
People who have concerns about the committee are welcome to “come and communicate with us,” she said.
Asked what committee Chairman Wellington Koo’s (顧立雄) reaction was to the incident, Shih said Koo was being interviewed at the time, but appeared unruffled when told of it.
As the committee was established less than two weeks ago, not all security measures have been put in place, Shih said, adding that it would step up security, including hiring a guard.
Dismissing concerns that the incident might prompt some committee members to quit, Shih said the chance of that happening was slim, as they are all motivated by a high level of enthusiasm and the pursuit of justice and fairness.
The committee would not go easy on ill-gotten party assets just because of the incident, she said.
New Power Party Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) asked Premier Lin Chuan (林全) why the budget for the committee office did not cover guards or police officers at the building.
Lin said the government would increase security at the committee’s office, which is in the same building as the National Development Council’s Regulatory Reform Center.
The cost of increased security would be shared by the two organizations, he said.
Additional reporting by Alison Hsiao
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS