Judges in Taichung yesterday turned down a request by prosecutors to detain a man allegedly involved in the murder of a gangster in the city late last month.
Police believe that Su Kuan-yu (蘇寬裕), an associate of alleged gangster Yang Ding-jung (楊定融), was involved in the slaying of Weng Chi-nan (翁奇楠) in his office on May 28.
Taichung District Court spokesman Chang Kuo-chung (張國忠) said prosecutors would file a new request, as Su is believed to have been the person who drove a vehicle stolen in Hsinchu to Taichung, where he allegedly gave the keys to an unidentified suspect who drove the gunman to Weng's office.
“Su had nothing to do with the vehicle on May 28, when the murder took place. Prosecutors and police did not provide sufficient evidence to prove that he has been in communication with other suspects in the case either,” Chang said. “Prosecutors and police will have to work harder on this.”
At press time, Yang, Chang Yu-hao (張育豪), the alleged teenage assassin Liao Kuo-hao (廖國豪) and Su were still considered suspects in the case. Yang, who was apprehended at Xiamen Airport and deported, was arrested on his arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Saturday and is now in detention. Chang, who was also arrested on Saturday, is believed to have been the driver who helped ditch the vehicle at Sun Moon Lake the day after the murder. He was released on NT$30,000 bail. Liao's whereabouts remain unknown.
The Taichung County Police Department, meanwhile, made public an audio clip of a conversation between a secret informant and police on June 15, dismissing accusations they were making no effort to locate the assassin.
“We did receive a call and officers arrived at the scene within seven minutes, but we did not see any 'suspicious man' there,” said Chang Chi-hsiang (張啟祥), deputy director of Taichung County Police Department's Taiping Precinct (太平分局).
The remarks were in reference to an unidentified woman who called a TV news channel's talk show on Sunday night to say that Liao had been seen visiting his grandparents' home in Taiping on June 15. The woman who saw him called the police but they failed to respond the caller said.
Taichung County Police contacted the caller, who told police she was not the woman who called police and that she had “heard” the story from someone else.
Chang Chi-hsiang said the woman who called the police on June 15 said she saw “a teenage man who was acting strangely” and hoped police would come as soon as possible.
The deputy said the woman did not identify the young man as Liao and could not clearly describe the man's features. The location she mentioned was not Liao's grandparents’ residence.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS