Chen Chi-li (
Chen was arrested at his Phnom Penh home in a joint military and municipal police raid on Saturday, which resulted in the confiscation of 21 weapons. The Cambodian government put in place strict regulations on guns a year ago.
Cambodian law dictates that people must face court proceedings within 48 hours of their arrest.
Cambodian police allegedly were incensed by repeated broadcasts on Taiwanese cable TV channels -- widely available in Cambodia -- of Chen showing off his guns to Taiwanese reporters, and so moved to arrest him.
Reports on Chen featured prominently in several Taiwanese newspapers, which can be easily obtained in stores in the capital.
"The Taiwanese media is stuck on Chen Chi-li," a local Cambodian reporter surnamed Shih said. "No one would broadcast guns so boldly on television."
The reporter said the authorities were forced to act out of fear the broadcasts would be sent around the world and damage Cambodia's reputation.
Another Chinese-Cambodian reporter surnamed Huang, who has covered business associations for six years, said Taiwanese newspapers had sensationalized the story.
A report in a Taiwanese daily highlighted Chen's involvement in another Chinese gang and disputes between business associations yesterday. However, Chen had little to do with China or local business associations in Cambodia, Huang said.
Many of Chen's acquaintances said they did not understand why Chen had so brazenly showed his guns to reporters on July 4. "He is going senile," one said.
Chen said at the time that the guns were bought for self-defense during the 1997 coup.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has reportedly asked Sao Sokha, chief of the military police, to be careful in his remarks to the press on the issue.
Phnom Penh mayor Chea Sothara said on Sunday that Chen would be charged with keeping illegal weapons
Chea also said that Chen had not been implicated in the murder last week of Lee Hsim-hsin (
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS