The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day.
Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments.
The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan Station. The 27-year-old suspect, later identified as Chang Wen (張文), threw smoke grenades and randomly attacked people with a knife near the two metro hubs, killing three people before apparently jumping from a building to his death.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Lai said that to protect public safety, police rapid response units would increase their counterterrorism training, and deploy in crowded spaces and at large events.
The response times of law enforcement agencies at all levels are to be enhanced to facilitate rapid reaction to disturbances, he said.
Police are to establish a task force to investigate the incident, with particular attention to the attacker’s motives, whether he had accomplices and financial support, and the source of his equipment, Lai said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Hospitals should be ready to provide long-term counseling for those affected by the incident, and honors should be conferred on the people who helped to contain the attack, he said, adding that he commended members of the public for their bravery in trying to stop the attacker.
“Your brave deeds were truly admirable,” Lai said.
Lai also visited injured victims, met with their families and offered his condolences to the bereaved families.
The government would ensure that compensation would be offered to victims and survivors of the attack, including the heroes who were killed or injured attempting to subdue the assailant, he said.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the government would seek to improve preventive measures.
Security would be tightened on major railways and highways, in MRT and train stations, and at airports nationwide, with increased police presence and enhanced equipment, Cho said, adding that the measures would remain in place in the long term to improve confidence in public security.
He also urged the public not to spread unverified information and to remain calm, and asked for the government to be given “a little more time” as the investigation continues.
Additional reporting by Huang Tze-yang and CNA
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS