Print

Mail

wiki links

Tourist surrenders after escaping from international airport

Aviation police yesterday said a Chinese tourist fled from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after he arrived in the country with a Chinese tour group late Sunday, but turned himself in yesterday evening.

Police and the Tourism Bureau were investigating why he fled from the airport.

"The Chinese man left his tour group after he passed Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Customs and was about to report to a local tour guide along with his group," Hu Ya-ping (胡亞屏), deputy director of the Aviation Police Office told the press yesterday.

Aviation police said a Chinese tour group with 26 members from Shanxi and Henan provinces arrived at the airport late on Sunday.

At 11:30pm, as the tour group passed through customs and aviation police led them to the Tai-wanese tour guide -- surnamed Tan -- in charge of the tour, aviation police discovered that a 55 year-old Chinese man named Jia Jia (賈甲) had disappeared.

Aviation police said they made public broadcasts in the airport asking Jia to report to police, but Jia did not appear.

Police said Jia was suspected of leaving the airport after he passed through customs.

The tour group, scheduled to stay in Taiwan from Oct. 22 to Oct. 28, continued their visit.

The government opened the country to Chinese tourists late last year.

Sunday's incident marked the first time that a Chinese national fled from the international airport under police supervision.

Although experts say the opening of Taiwan to Chinese tourists benefits the country's tourism industry, it has also raised security concerns.
This story has been viewed 2512 times.