Police said yesterday they may know who shot President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).
"Due to a gag order, I cannot make public the latest details of the case, but I assure you that we are screening potential suspects and I believe that we shall locate the gunman soon," State Public Prosecutor-General Lu Jen-fa (盧仁發) said at a press conference yesterday.
Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
"It is just our rough investigation, but everything is under control at this minute, I assure you," Chen Ding-nan said.
As of press time yesterday, Tainan police had located two shell cases at the scene. Police have yet to determine how the president and vice president were hit.
National Police Administration Deputy Director-General Liu Shih-lin (
Justice officials made the comments at a press conference yesterday afternoon that was originally called to discuss efforts to crack down on election-related bribery.
Tainan District Prosecutor-General Liu Wei-tsung (
In addition to prosecutors, special agents from the National Security Bureau (NSB), the National Police Administration's (NPA) Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Ministry of Justice's Bureau of Investigation are working on the case.
Meanwhile, special agents from the NSB assigned to protect the pan-blue camp's candidates -- Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan (
In addition, nearly 20,000 officers from the NPA's Peace Preservation Corps have been ordered to tighten security at certain locations across the country.
NPA Director-General Chang Si-liang (
Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,