Senior politicians rubbed shoulders with mob bosses at the funeral yesterday of one of the nation’s most prominent gang leaders.
The Buddhist service for Lee Chao-hsiung (李照雄), who died of liver cancer last month, was expected to attract a gathering of up to 20,000 people in Taichung, organizers said.
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) was among the mourners, saying his attendance was a sign of gratitude after Lee left NT$60 million (US$2 million) for charities in his will.
PHOTO: CNA
“I felt I had to come to express my thanks,” Hu told reporters. “When the man left this world, he used this way to show his concern for society.”
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also attended the service.
Taiwan’s three main criminal organizations — the Bamboo Union, the Four Seas Triad and the Celestial Way — also sent representatives to Lee’s funeral, who was the head of the Big Lake gang.
Members of Japanese gangs, dressed in black suits, were also among the guests. Gangsters from Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Thailand completed the picture of a who’s who of organized crime in Asia.
Dozens of police officers were stationed near the funeral venue, many equipped with walkie-talkies and cameras.
“We’re here to maintain order and to collect information,” said one policeman, declining to give his name.
Lee was best known for helping to negotiate the release of a number of kidnapped politicians and businessmen, including Taichung City Council Speaker Chang Hung-nien (張宏年).
Police have declined to comment on Lee’s criminal record, but a source who has followed his career closely, and asked not to be identified, said Lee spent time in jail on charges of gambling and firearms smuggling.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS