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 (
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS