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Self-proclaimed honor guard said he wanted to hurt Chen

The Army said yesterday that it was still investigating a case in which one of its guards of honor allegedly posted a message in an Internet chatroom in March saying that he had been tempted to assault the president.

"We take this matter very seriously. Currently, we are trying to figure out whether this person is really one of our guards. If he is, we will investigate further," said Major General Chou Yen-chung (周彥中), a spokesman for Army Command Headquarters.

Chu Chao-kang (屈肇康) left the message in question in a Yahoo chatroom, claiming to be an honor guard.

He wrote that when President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) welcomed Nauru President Ludwig Scotty with guard of honor on March 7 in a downtown Taipei square, "I almost could not resist the urge to poke my M-1 rifle into the president's head."

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) affiliated Broadcasting Corp of China radio station reported yesterday that the military relieved Chu of his duties immediately after being made aware of the message he posted on the Internet. While the radio station also reported that Chu had been detained, Chou would not confirm the report.

"I can only assure you that we are working on this case," Chou said.

In the meantime, the military urged Yahoo to remove Chu's message, but Yahoo refused the request because "Chu's statement is protected by the right of freedom of speech."

The Army, Air Force and Navy all have guards of honor.

These guards must be between 178cm and 190cm tall, well-built and must undergo tough physical training. Those who are shortsighted must wear contact lenses on duty.

The guards carry M-1 rifles which are not loaded, but are fitted with bayonets.

In addition to paying respect to foreign leaders, the guards also stand duty outside CKS Memorial Hall, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the Martyrs' Shrine, former president Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) temporary mausoleum in Tzuhu (慈湖) and former president Chiang Ching-kuo's (蔣經國) temporary mausoleum in Toliao (頭寮).
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