When two suspected drug dealers were arrested in Taichung last week, the spotlight turned once again to a controversial figure on the other side of the country -- Hualien County Council Speaker Yang Wen-chi (
Last Saturday, officers from the National Police Administration's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested two Tai-chung men, 45-year-old Chen Hsien-chou and 38-year-old Shen Cheng-hsiung (沈正雄), while they visited friends in Taichung City's Liaoning Road.
The suspects then accused the Hualien speaker of being a drug kingpin and that he had intimate connections to organized crime in the area.
Rumors
Armed with a degree from the Dahan Institute of Technology's Department of Finance, the now 49-year-old Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) speaker began his political career in 1990, becoming a county councilor in his hometown, and eventually climbing the ladder to his current post as speaker.
Any number of rumors can be heard on the streets of Hualien about Yang's supposed association with drug dealing, but Hualien County Council Deputy Speaker Lin Lien-ming (林連明) said in his colleague's defense that Yang had expended considerable effort in cultivating a harmonious political environment in Hualien.
"Forget the party he belongs to; he has really achieved a lot for the residents of Hualien and he is always willing to negotiate with politicians from different parties -- as long as it's for the good of the people," Lin said.
A senior county law enforcement official, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Taipei Times that although Yang had nothing to do with drugs, he had been dealing with drug issues, including paying attention to particular cases, over a lengthy period of time.
However, the official said, a number of Yang's friends, including other politicians in the area, had definitely been involved in drug dealing and were currently under investigation.
Drug case
Yang made national front page news for the first time when he was associated with a drug case in Hualien County last year.
On Oct. 14, police received a phone call from a resident of Nanhua, alleging that people were dealing drugs in the area.
Seven officers hurried to the scene, where they arrested Lai Chiao-jung (賴樵榕), but three other suspects evaded arrest.
Police also discovered 28 heroin bricks weighing a total of 10.64kg, estimated to be worth more than NT$100 million, along with a pistol.
The police also discovered that three men -- Lee Wen-chien (
Officers suspected that the men were also narcotics dealers and that the bizarre scene was the result of a drug deal that went wrong.
The trio were taken to a police station, but there was apparently insufficient evidence to arrest them.
Yang then arrived at the station and escorted Lee, Chao and Chi to a hospital at their request.
While Yang said he was merely helping his constituents after police approved their release, his political opponents claim he used his position to pressure the officers into letting the three out.
But the senior law enforcement official who spoke to the Taipei Times said this was not true.
"This time, [Yang] was really misunderstood," the official said.
"When he took the three suspects away from the police station, he really didn't know that they were involved in a drug case," he said.
Renewed focus
But when the two men arrested last week told Taichung police that Yang was a key drug dealing figure, and that this was why he had helped Lee, Chao and Chen Ding-chi, the investigation took on a new complexion.
The pair told police they were part of the drug hijacking in Hualien.
They also said that when Hualien officers saw three suspects escaping from the scene, there were actually seven of them in total.
When approached by reporters, Hualien Chief Prosecutor Sun Chin-hsing (孫進興) said that law enforcement officers had not discovered sufficient evidence to prosecute Yang.
However, Sun said that it was a mistake for Yang to escort the suspects away from the police station.
"We did summon him in relation to this incident, and he answered our questions and provided his explanations as he was supposed to," Sun said.
"Although we can't tell you what he told us, I can assure you that he is `clean' at this time," he said.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
Taipei resident Mu Chu-hua caught some glimpses of China’s mighty military parade on YouTube on Wednesday. As she watched hypersonic missiles roll down Beijing’s Changan Avenue and troops march in lockstep, she did not feel like they posed a threat to Taiwan. Mu, a 69-year-old retiree, said she saw the parade as simply a way for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to “say thank you to the troops.” “I thought it was quite normal,” she said. “It was very cool.” China’s military parade commemorating the end of World War II was being watched internationally for insights into Beijing’s military advances and its show
RSS