Four Malaysian nationals were arrested Sunday at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taiwan's main international gateway, for attempting to smuggle 20.258kg of heroin into the country, police and customs authorities announced yesterday.
It was the largest seizure of heroin to be smuggled into Taiwan by foreign suspects since the airport was inaugurated in 1979.
Airport police said the four Malaysian suspects -- three men and one woman -- arrived at CKS Airport around noon on Sunday on board a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok.
Police said they alerted customs inspectors after they spotted one of the four, Chong Kee-won (
Chong later told police that his three accomplices -- identified as Nghaok Chuan (黃福泉), Wong Chin-moi (黃金妹) and Chan Chew-kam (陳兆錦) -- had already left the airport for the Lai Lai Sheraton Hotel in downtown Taipei to meet Taiwan drug dealers.
When they arrived at the hotel, airport police saw the three Malaysians sitting in a coffee shop. On their table they displayed a Polo travel bag, a pair of red warm-up pants, a beige protective bandage, a pack of "555" cigarettes and a pack of Dunhill cigarettes. These articles were a signal for their Taiwanese connection, according to police.
After a long wait, none of the supposed Taiwanese buyers showed up. Police then arrested the trio and seized the 15kg of heroin they had on them.
The drug-trafficking suspects told police that they were transporting the heroin from Bangkok to Taipei for a Thai man in his 30s, nicknamed Ango, at a service charge of 18,000 Malaysian ringgit (about NT$200,000) each.
CKS Airport Police Bureau chief Chang Su-liang (
"We have since stepped up inspections on passengers from Southeast Asian countries," he added.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist