Police yesterday said that they had plans in place to deal with any potential mobster or spy activities at the demonstration in front of the Presidential Office.
"We received reliable tips that local gangsters may be involved in the rally, so we have to pay attention to that and take all necessary precautionary measures," said Wang Cho-chiun (
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
Yu Yi-hsien (
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
The informant told the police that many pan-blue camp officials had recognized gangsters in the crowd during the protest at the Central Election Committee on Friday. The gangsters were allegedly planning to create trouble at yesterday's rally.
"We are still trying to confirm the tips and trying to figure out whether these gangsters were paid to participate," Yu said. "If so, who is their employer?"
Another source told police that China may send spies to inflame people's emotions by creating minor incidents during the rally.
"We have not been able to substantiate any of the claims about espionage. Our investigation did not reveal any sign that Chinese spies are involved," Yu said.
In an incident at the People First Party (PFP) headquarters on Friday, two rioters lit a petrol bomb made from a beer bottle in front of the building, then dropped the bottle and ran away. The flames were extinguished by PFP officials.
The police administration's First Peace Preservation Corp yesterday sent 200 officers to guard the Democratic Progressive Party's headquarters. Two officers and a police vehicle patrolling the area every hour were assigned to the PFP headquarters.
As of press time yesterday, no injuries or gangster activity had been reported at the protest at the Presidential Office.
The police did arrest two teenagers who brought samurai swords into the crowd. The teenagers were being questioned by authorities last night.
According to Yu, the Taipei City Police Department assigned 4,600 officers to maintain public order at the rally. The National Police Administration assigned another 4,000 officers to help.
"Everything will be under control, if the crowd stays calm," Yu said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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