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
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS