Police yesterday accused New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) and his Secretary-General Lee Sheng-feng (李勝峰) of pushing police at CKS International Airport last Tuesday.
"Evidence showed Yok grabbed a club away from police and pushed them. We also think he ordered gangsters to attack pan-green supporters," said Aviation Police Bureau Director Chen Tzi-chin (陳子敬) yesterday.
"They were accused of interfering with public functions," Chen said.
Lee said yesterday that he was merely keeping pan-green protesters at bay and protecting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) when he entered the airport.
"I don't feel sorry about my behavior in the clash. If the police say I've broken the law, I would say they are wrong," the party secretary-general said. He said the three black-clad youth who accompanied him to the airport were Lien supporters, not gangsters.
Yok had vowed to return "blood with blood," referring to a Lien supporter who was injured during the fight. The New Party chairman has since left the country.
Wang Lan (
Wang allegedly led gangsters in the clashes at the airport. Her ex-husband, Chu Chia-hsun (
Police yesterday arrested the three Bamboo Union members who accompanied Lee at the airport, including Tan Cheng-yu (
Phoenix Corps (
Police said their investigation showed the three unidentified black clad youth pushed police and attacked pan-green supporters. Police said the three are Bamboo Union gang members and all have criminal records.
Police said two other Bamboo Union members who were at the airport -- Kang Long-hui (康龍輝) and his younger brother Kang Liang-gi (康良吉) -- were released by prosecutors because they did not attack anyone. The Kang brothers wore clothes in Republic of China flag colors when they appeared at the airport.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united