A Belarusian man was arrested after allegedly attempting to climb into the wheel well of an airplane at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday.
The man entered the restricted zone around the airport and ran toward China Airlines (中華航空) Flight CI28, which was on a runway waiting to take off, before attempting to climb its landing gear, police said.
The man appeared to be attempting to stow away on the aircraft, police said, adding that it was the first such incident in the history of the airport.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
The man was spotted by the pilot of an Asiana Airlines airplane on a nearby taxiway, who immediately contacted the control tower, police said.
The China Airlines aircraft aborted takeoff and waited for airport security, who restrained the man until police arrived.
Police said that the man refused to speak after his arrest, but added that they attempted to gather more information based on his fingerprints and retinal scans.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
There was no record of the man passing through immigration to enter Taiwan, nor did he have a criminal record, police said, adding that they were not ruling out that he entered the nation illegally.
The man’s bag contained a reflective vest, a gas burner and several lighters, as well as an “incomprehensible drawing,” police said.
An immigration official fluent in Russian was called in to attempt to communicate with the intruder, but the man refused to speak, police said.
The man’s identity had not been determined as of press time last night.
Flight CI28 had been scheduled to depart for Palau at 1:35pm, police said, adding that all 149 passengers on board were placed on another aircraft that departed at 4:20pm.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s drone exports surged past US$100 million in the first quarter, exceeding last year’s full-year total, with the Czech Republic emerging as the largest buyer, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Exports of complete drones reached US$115.85 million in the period, about 1.2 times the total recorded for all of last year, the ministry said in a report. Exports to the Czech Republic accounted for about US$100 million, far outpacing other markets. Poland, last year’s top destination, recorded about US$11.75 million in the first quarter. Taiwan’s drone exports have expanded rapidly in the past few years, with last year’s total
RSS