Judicial authorities yesterday took three men into custody for questioning in connection with a spate of panic buying at some supermarkets.
The Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau (MJIB) said that two of those detained are cousins — one man surnamed Tsai (蔡), 46, and another surnamed Chang (張), 38, both of Taipei — and the other man is the director of a cultural promotion organization registered in New Taipei City.
The panic buying was sparked by a message posted on Tuesday on Professional Technology Temple, the nation’s most popular electronic bulletin board system, which was then disseminated to other social media platforms.
Photo: CNA
“I have received some important information that people should prepare to stockpile enough food and daily necessities to last for one month, while they should also immediately go to the bank and withdraw all their money,” the message said.
Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) officer Chen Chiung-chao (陳炯昭) said that the post was traced to Chang, who read it on a family message group on Line after it was posted by Tsai.
Tsai said that he posted the message on Line after reading an article on a blog, which the CIB traced to the director of the cultural promotion organization, also surnamed Chang (張).
When questioned, the cousins said that they circulated the message to their family and friends as a way of reminding them about a serious situation and that it was not done with malevolence.
They posted it on other Line groups to initiate discussion and exchange opinions on the matter, they said.
After taking statements from the three men and reviewing the evidence, MJIB Fake News Prevention and Control Center deputy head Liu Chia-jung (劉家榮) said the three men would be charged for contravening the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) and Article 125-1 of the Banking Act (銀行法).
“The MJIB will continue to investigate this case, to determine if there are foreign sources involved in spreading this fake news, since it aimed to manipulate people’s fear and anxiety over the coronavirus outbreak, to cause disruption to the supply of goods and sow disorder in society,” Liu said. “We urge the public not to disseminate fake news and disinformation, as perpetrators will face criminal prosecution.”
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as