Two of the nation's most wanted fugitives, Chen Yi-hua (陳益華) and Hsueh Chiu (薛球), were extradited from China yesterday, arriving in Taipei to stand trial after more than three years on the run, according to the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
"Chen and Hsueh's extradition represents the government's determination in fighting crime and protecting citizens' lives and property," said Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Su also made clear that cross-strait cooperation in the extradition of criminals was not based upon cash rewards. The Executive Yuan has in the past offered rewards for the capture of the nation's most wanted fugitives, and a reward of NT$10 million had been approved for the capture of the two fugitives. The minister, however, dodged the question of whether the Chinese police would be rewarded for their help in the arrest of Chen and Hsueh.
"The Chinese police authorities have not requested the reward, but according to regulations, we are obliged to reward an informant who aids in the capture of a fugitive. We will proceed in accordance with our regulations," Su said.
Su also took the opportunity to warn against attempting to avoid the long arm of Taiwanese justice by escaping to China.
"To the 326 fugitives who have yet to be arrested, cross-strait cooperation on crime will make it impossible to escape the forces of law by escaping to China," Su said.
Chen and Hsueh were captured and detained by Chinese police in July in Xiamen. The whereabouts of the two fugitives was revealed when they attempted to blackmail Yang Teng-kuei (楊登魁), owner of the GTV cable TV station, for NT$50 million while they were in Xiamen. According to authorities, Chen and Hsueh had taken refuge in China in November of last year.
The two returned to Taiwan in accordance with the Kinmen Agreement of 1990 that sets out guidelines for cross-strait extradition of criminals. They were transported by ship to the outlying island of Matsu before being flown to Taipei and arriving at the Criminal Investigation Bureau at 3:30pm yesterday afternoon.
Chen and Hsueh had been arrested by Miaoli police in March 21, 2000, but they were released the same day by the Miaoli District Court on bail of NT$300,000 and NT$200,000 respectively. They have been on the run since.The two built their notoriety on a string of high-profile kidnappings, including that of Taichung City Council Vice Speaker Chang Hung-nien (
In addition, the two are wanted on charges of armed robbery on several counts, including a raid of the military's Hsinchu financial office in January 2001, during which the two got away with NT$ 2.2 million.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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