National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday that his agency deployed extra bodyguards two weeks ago to protect the safety of two presidential candidates, as each of them had been guarded by just two NPA personnel since being named as their party's candidate for the 2008 election.
As a result, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) of the Democratic Progressive Party and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) now have protection from four NPA security guards each, Hou said in response to questions from reporters after the murder of a Taipei County councilor triggered concerns from politicians over their own safety.
Asked about the shooting of County Councilor Wu Shan-jeou (吳善九) of the People First Party, killed by a lone gunman at his office on Wednesday, Hou said a task force had been organized to investigate the case.
Hou said that Hsieh and Ma originally had just two bodyguards each. But two weeks ago both candidates expressed the hope of securing an additional pair of guards.
Hou said he and the National Security Bureau would reassess the situation next month after the two are formally nominated by their respective parties.
When asked for comment yesterday, Ma said he would pay more attention to his personal safety, adding that he was considering employing even more bodyguards.
At a separate event, Hsieh, when asked the same question by reporters, said he currently had no plans to apply for more bodyguards.
As the public now have the impression that the police are not effective, more police officers should be used to maintain public order and protect the people, he added.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese