■ CRIME
Thief caught at bank
A handbag thief who tried to withdraw cash from his victim’s bank account was caught in the act by the victim’s daughter, who happened to work at the bank branch. Taipei police said the man, surnamed Chang, 55, broke into the house of a retired teacher on Tuesday and stole her purse, which contained some cash, a bank book and her seal. The suspect went to the bank on Wednesday and filled out a withdrawal slip, stamping the victim’s seal, to withdraw all NT$494,900 from the account, police said. When a perplexed bank colleague asked the victim’s daughter why her mother had sent a stranger to withdraw the money, she immediately called the police, who arrested the suspect.
■ SECURITY
Condo may pose risk for Ma
National Security Bureau (NSB) Deputy Director-General Lin Tung-cheng (林東城) yesterday told lawmakers that a new condominium next to the president’s official residence posed a security threat. Lin made the remarks in response to lawmakers’ questions on whether the nearly finished 23-story building next to the presidential residence would expose President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to security risks. Ma relocated from his residence in Muzha (木柵) to the presidential residence on Oct. 26. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-ming (帥化民) yesterday suggested the bureau relocate Ma’s residence to the Dazhi Military Complex, which is under construction and will house the Ministry of National Defense and Air Force Command Headquarters. Lin responded that it was a good idea, but the bureau would continue to work on improving security around the current presidential residence.
■ TRANSPORT
Rail line safety questioned
Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) assured the public on Wednesday of the safety of the Alishan rail system and promised that his ministry would step up inspections of the service. Mao made the remarks while fielding questions at a legislative committee meeting from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) about the safety of the system. Lee said he was concerned, particularly as the volume of passengers is likely to increase sharply when the month-long cherry blossom festival begins on Sunday. “Although the rail system is now operated by a private company, the ministry should take responsibility as the regulator of the rail system,” Lee said. The exchange came after train drivers, angry over low wages, recently considered resigning en masse. On Tuesday morning, the compressed air line to the brakes on one of the trains ruptured. It has since been repaired and the train is now back in service.
■ IMMIGRATION
Human smugglers busted
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) yesterday announced that its officers in Nantou County recently busted a crime ring that was bringing Chinese women to Taiwan through fraudulent marriages. During an interview with a pair of siblings surnamed Pan (潘) and their Chinese spouses, the immigration officers discovered that they did not seem to know much about their spouses, the NIA said. The brother and sister duo, who worked as vegetable vendors at a local traditional market, even referred to a “manual” provided by the ring on how to pass the interviews, the NIA said. The brother eventually admitted to taking part in fake marriages.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe