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Liaison office in Pretoria robbed

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told its offices in South Africa yesterday to enhance security precautions and diplomats to pay extra attention to their personal safety after one of its offices was robbed by three armed men.

Ministry spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) said Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) had called the Taipei Liaison Office in Pretoria on Saturday to express his concern for the victims of the robbery on Friday afternoon.

No one was seriously injured in the incident.

The thieves took cash from the office’s safe after attacking the family of one of the diplomats.

The envoy had left the office to meet his family, who had just driven into the driveway of the building. Three armed men suddenly appeared and attacked the family, beating and tying them up.

Concerned for his family’s safety, the official let the robbers have the cash stored in the office safe.

The thieves reportedly took the videotape from the liaison office’s surveillance camera with them when they left.

Deputy Representative to South Africa Fu Ti (傅迪) said the amount stolen was not large, but the robbers seemed to be professionals and were likely connected to an organized crime ring.

Even if security measures were tightened, the liaison office would still be vulnerable, Fu said.

The chairman of the South Africa embassy association, Libyan Ambassador Africa Alzubedi, expressed his concern about the incident.

He said his group — which represents the diplomatic community in South Africa — had met with police last year to discuss security measures and the police had promised to add 100 more officers to the embassy patrol squad.

However, many of the ambassadors still fear for their safety, he said.

Taiwan’s liaison office is the latest in a long string of diplomatic facilities that have been robbed in South Africa. The French, US, Nigerian, Bangladeshi and Vietnamese embassies have all been victims of robberies.
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