Taipei police yesterday said they are investigating a Facebook user who allegedly made nine threats against Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and his family in the comment section of a Facebook post.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday posted on the social media platform about an interview Wu on Sunday gave to French journalist Wandrille Lanos for a 71-minute documentary that aired the same day on France 5.
The post cited Wu as emphasizing Taiwan’s “undeniable importance to the global economy” as the source of the world’s most advanced computer chips.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In the comment section, one user wrote nine times: “Wu’s family must be wiped out. Not one of them can be left alive, so as to prevent harm to Taiwan.”
The comments were reported to the Taipei Police Department’s Zhongzheng Precinct, which said it was investigating the user who made the threats, as they might contravene Article 305 of the Criminal Code.
The article stipulates a fine and imprisonment for any “person who threatens to cause injury to the life, body, freedom, reputation, or property of another and thereby endangers their safety.”
Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) confirmed that a user made the comments under the Facebook post and said that the ministry has been in contact with the police.
In the interview with Lanos, Wu said that Taiwanese had been inspired by Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense efforts.
He also discussed Taiwan’s exclusion from global organizations such as the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization and Interpol due to pressure from China, which he said was “unreasonable,” the ministry’s news service reported.
“Although Taiwan is also denied United Nations membership, the country will not be stopped from promoting well-being around the world as a responsible member of the global community,” Wu said, citing the nation’s donations of surgical masks and other medical supplies at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wu said that frequent visits to Taiwan by French lawmakers were evidence that the two nations enjoy a close relationship, despite geographical distance.
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 12:37pm today, with clear shaking felt across much of northern Taiwan. There were no immediate reports of damage. The epicenter of the quake was 16.9km east-southeast of Yilan County Hall offshore at a depth of 66.8km, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. The maximum intensity registered at a 4 in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳) on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. Other parts of Yilan, as well as certain areas of Hualien County, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Taichung and Miaoli County, recorded intensities of 3. Residents of Yilan County and Taipei received
Taiwan has secured another breakthrough in fruit exports, with jujubes, dragon fruit and lychees approved for shipment to the EU, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency on Thursday received formal notification of the approval from the EU, the ministry said, adding that the decision was expected to expand Taiwanese fruit producers’ access to high-end European markets. Taiwan exported 126 tonnes of lychees last year, valued at US$1.48 million, with Japan accounting for 102 tonnes. Other export destinations included New Zealand, Hong Kong, the US and Australia, ministry data showed. Jujube exports totaled 103 tonnes, valued at
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
RSS