Wu Chin-hu (吳金虎), a senior member of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party (CUPP), was yesterday detained for alleged involvement in debt collecting, street violence and physical assault.
Wu and his men “used the CUPP’s registration as a political party to cover up their actual operations and run a criminal gang,” Changhua County prosecutors said, citing Wu’s criminal record.
The Changhua District Court denied Wu bail and approved prosecutors’ request to detain him with restricted communication.
Photo: Liberty Times
Prosecutors said that Wu, 47, is closely associated with CUPP founder Chang An-le (張安樂), a former leader of the Bamboo Union who is known as the White Wolf, and led security escort teams to protect Chang during the Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage last month.
Wu is facing charges in connection with blackmail, making threats, offenses against personal liberty and breaches of the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例).
Police Captain Hsu Hung-chieh (徐宏杰), head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s Third Crime-Fighting Unit, said that Wu belonged to the Bamboo Union and had been a top leader in the gang’s “Ground Tiger chapter” in Changhua and Taichung.
“Wu has been investigated in connection with numerous criminal cases over the past 10 years, and has been convicted and served brief prison terms,” Hsu said.
Wu and his Ground Tiger chapter allegedly profited from operating gambling dens, taking commissions for collecting debts on behalf of loan sharks and other illegal activities, Hsu added.
“As a top-ranking member of the CUPP and the Bamboo Union, Wu used his status to threaten victims who were unable to repay loans with high interest rates,” Hsu said.
Victims allegedly cited Wu as telling them: “You can ask around and find out from people about me; I am quite well-known among gangsters and police.”
In one case, the proprietor of a company in Changhua said that after Wu and his men visited him about NT$400,000 that he owed, he became so frightened that he moved his business to another city.
“Late last year, one man wanted to quit as a member of Wu’s local chapter, but Wu led about 30 people to beat him up,” Hsu said. “Wu also fought other local gangs when acting as head of security for Chang An-le during last month’s Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage in Changhua County.”
Prosecutors said that Chang had personally chosen Wu to lead the Bamboo Union’s local chapter and appointed him as regional director of the CUPP’s Taichung chapter.
Wu allegedly mobilized his supporters numerous times for the CUPP’s pro-China street rallies, prosecutors said.
Wu, whose original name is Wu Yin-lan (吳銀嵐), was last month summoned for questioning along with six other suspects facing charges for violence and gangster activities. All were released on bail.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
RSS