A middle-aged man yesterday morning attempted to torch the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) headquarters, the Taipei City Police Department said, adding that they are still investigating his motive.
A 43-year-old man surnamed Tsai (蔡) broke into KMT headquarters and started a small fire, but was stopped by two security guards, police said.
One of the guards is in intensive care for observation after sustaining a smoke inhalation injury, police said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Tsai was a member of the Bamboo Union gang and has a criminal record for obstruction of liberty, fraud and threatening others, police said, adding that he might be indicted for breaching the Public Safety Act (公共危險罪).
Tsai entered the premise and shouted “Mind your own business” before pouring gasoline over the carpet and setting it ablaze, the guards said in their statements.
While being restrained by the guards, Tsai said he was a victim of KMT oppression, although he did not clarify how or why he was a victim, the party said.
Photo: CNA
Tsai reportedly said that he was expressing his dissatisfaction with the KMT’s inaction in the face of the Democratic Progressive Party government’s promise of a NT$4.5 billion (US$150.1 million) loan to Taiwan’s diplomatic ally Haiti.
The KMT regrets that the incident occurred and condemns any irrational violent behavior, it said in a statement, adding that it would step up security measures to prevent a similar incident.
It was not the first time that KMT headquarters have been attacked.
A man on Feb. 28, 2016, firebombed the building, leaving behind pamphlets saying that the KMT should return all property, assets and ill-gotten gains taken from Taiwanese.
Separately yesterday, a man smashed a bottle filled with gasoline on the front desk of the Ministry of Justice in Taipei.
The man entered the building at about 2:20pm and, expressing his dissatisfaction with Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), set fire to a paper bag and threw it at the front desk, police said.
When the flames quickly died out, he smashed a gasoline-filled bottle on the desk and attempted to light it with a cigarette lighter before security stopped him, they added.
Additional reporting by Liu Ching-hou and CNA
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese