Taipei Police detained ex-convict Tung Nien-tai (董念台) for questioning yesterday. Tung is facing charges related to endangering public safety, for sending threatening text messages to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers and saying he would form a “Black Eagle” paramilitary group (黑鷹部隊) to wipe out the Bluebird movement (青鳥行動) protesters.
Tung, 75, was first questioned by police investigators and then taken to Taipei prosecutors. He was later released upon posting a NT$30,000 (US$973) bail, while police have ordered increased protection for all lawmakers, including enhanced patrol and safety measures around the Legislative Yuan, as well as at their offices and residences.
A former prison inmate with a connection to organized crime, Tung has served several sentences and has been convicted of fraud, blackmail and other offenses. He also engaged in the debt-collection business, conducted protests affiliated with the blue political camp and recently joined the pro-China Unification Promotion Party.
Photo: Chen Tsai-ling, Taipei Times
Tung had sent text messages to DPP lawmakers on Wednesday.
“The Bluebirds are dumb kids who surrounded the legislature to support the DPP,” Tung said. “They also threatened lawmakers of the blue and white camps, acting like political soldiers under the instruction of pro-Taiwan independence President William Lai (賴清德).”
“We are forming the ‘Black Eagle’ paramilitary group, and wiping out the Bluebirds is our main aim,” he said.
“People have different political stances and viewpoints, but they should respect each other when participating in protests and public events. When someone makes verbal threats and uses online talks to interfere with legal gatherings, the police force would uphold the law and investigate it,” Taipei Zhongzheng First Precinct Police Chief Chang Chia-huang (張嘉煌) said.
Tung is facing charges of contravening Article 151 of the Criminal Code, which states: “A person who endangers public safety by putting the public in fear of injury to life, body or property,” and Article 305: “A person who threatens to cause injury to the life, body, freedom, reputation or property of another.”
Public prosecutors asked the public to maintain good conduct and be reasonable when dealing with political issues, and not threaten violence against people.
In Tung’s message, he also said members of the “Black Eagle” group would be comprised of ex-convicts, who would go to protests organized by the Bluebird movement groups to counter “dumb kids who are too arrogant, who wallow in their own self-importance.”
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS