The search for a US citizen who disappeared in Taiwan in late May has been stepped up, the National Police Administration (NPA) said yesterday.
NPA officials said that Fryderyk Mieszko Frontier arrived in Taiwan on May 20 to take up an English teaching job at a branch of the Hess Educational Organization in Chungho, Taipei County, but that he did not show up for a Hess pre-job training program May 25 as originally scheduled.
According to NPA probes, Frontier stayed at a Taipei Hostel after his arrival in Taiwan.
He had told a hostel information desk staffer that he was going to take a leisure trip to eastern Taiwan before reporting to Hess for work.
Frontier left his luggage at the Hess Chungho branch before departing for Hualien County.
NPA officials said that Frontier stayed at a Catholic hostel in Tienhsiang in Taroko National Park from May 21 through May 24. He checked out of the hostel May 25 and has not been heard from since, police said.
The NPA said it has directed the Hualien County Police Bureau and the Taroko National Park police squad to step up the search for Frontier.
Moreover, it urged local citizens to come forward with any information they might have regarding the whereabouts of Frontier.
"Anyone who has information about the whereabouts of Frontier is welcome to contact the NPA's foreign affairs office at (02) 2393-0989 or (02) 2394-0238, or the Hualien County Police Bureau at (03) 738-2000," an NPA official said.
He said Frontier stands 186 cm tall, weighs 96kg and has curly brown hair.
According to a press release issued by the American Institute in Taiwan in mid-July, Frontier called his roommate in the US on May 22, saying that he was going to visit a national park and return to Taipei on May 25.
He also expressed an interest in going hiking and visiting Kaohsiung.
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