A man wielding a Japanese sword yesterday slashed a military police officer guarding the Presidential Office Building, authorities said.
A 51-year-old, surnamed Lu (呂), was overpowered by other guards and prevented from entering the building, police said, adding that the injured guard was rushed to nearby National Taiwan University Hospital for treatment.
Lu approached the west wing of the building on the intersection of Boai Road and Zhangsha Street at about 10:15am, where he slashed the guard’s neck, police said.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
An initial investigation found that Lu used a hammer to smash a display case containing the sword at the Armed Forces Museum on Guiyang Street and took the weapon before heading to the Presidential Office Building, they said.
Police found a People’s Republic of China flag in Lu’s bag.
Police said they also found what appeared to be Lu’s will, which contained such sentences as: “I watch China Central Television daily and I get emotional seeing the motherland’s development projects,” and “Achieve unification with China as soon as possible.”
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
TV footage showed Lu being carried away by four officers and put in a police car near a side entrance of the building, which was cordoned off after the attack.
During questioning, Lu said he attacked the guard to “demonstrate my political position,” said Tsai Han-cheng (蔡漢政), head of the Jieshou police station affiliated with the Taipei Police Department’s Zhongzheng First Precinct.
Lu has been turned over to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, Tsai said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said the protocol for use of force by armed personnel will be reviewed.
“I cannot imagine the scenario if the man had stormed into the Presidential Office Building during the annual family day,” when relatives of employees working at the office spend the day there, Feng said.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said the injured guard was in stable condition after receiving treatment.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was concerned about the guard after learning about the attack, Huang said.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) issued a statement condemning the attack after visiting the injured officer in hospital.
Tsai Ing-wen also visited the injured guard later yesterday.
The guard sustained a 10cm cut to the right side of his neck, but was not in critical condition, Colonel Chang Po-yen (張博彥) of the Military Police 202nd Command said.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) confirmed that a sword was stolen from the museum, adding that surveillance footage had been handed over to police.
The museum was closed to the public following the attack.
The Presidential Office Building and its surrounding area have been the target of attacks before.
In November 2014, a man tried to drive into the front door of the nearby presidential residence, saying he was protesting the health policies of then-president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
In January 2014, a man drove a truck through a bullet-proof screen and into the main gate of the Presidential Office Building, saying he was protesting a judicial hearing involving his ex-wife.
There were no injuries from either incident, apart from one of the drivers.
Additional reporting by AFP
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
RSS