Chen Chi-li (
Chen was arrested at his Phnom Penh home in a joint military and municipal police raid on Saturday, which resulted in the confiscation of 21 weapons. The Cambodian government put in place strict regulations on guns a year ago.
Cambodian law dictates that people must face court proceedings within 48 hours of their arrest.
Cambodian police allegedly were incensed by repeated broadcasts on Taiwanese cable TV channels -- widely available in Cambodia -- of Chen showing off his guns to Taiwanese reporters, and so moved to arrest him.
Reports on Chen featured prominently in several Taiwanese newspapers, which can be easily obtained in stores in the capital.
"The Taiwanese media is stuck on Chen Chi-li," a local Cambodian reporter surnamed Shih said. "No one would broadcast guns so boldly on television."
The reporter said the authorities were forced to act out of fear the broadcasts would be sent around the world and damage Cambodia's reputation.
Another Chinese-Cambodian reporter surnamed Huang, who has covered business associations for six years, said Taiwanese newspapers had sensationalized the story.
A report in a Taiwanese daily highlighted Chen's involvement in another Chinese gang and disputes between business associations yesterday. However, Chen had little to do with China or local business associations in Cambodia, Huang said.
Many of Chen's acquaintances said they did not understand why Chen had so brazenly showed his guns to reporters on July 4. "He is going senile," one said.
Chen said at the time that the guns were bought for self-defense during the 1997 coup.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has reportedly asked Sao Sokha, chief of the military police, to be careful in his remarks to the press on the issue.
Phnom Penh mayor Chea Sothara said on Sunday that Chen would be charged with keeping illegal weapons
Chea also said that Chen had not been implicated in the murder last week of Lee Hsim-hsin (
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE TRAINING: The ministry said 87.5 percent of the apprehended Chinese agents were reported by service members they tried to lure into becoming spies Taiwanese organized crime, illegal money lenders, temples and civic groups are complicit in Beijing’s infiltration of the armed forces, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a report yesterday. Retired service members who had been turned to Beijing’s cause mainly relied on those channels to infiltrate the Taiwanese military, according to the report to be submitted to lawmakers ahead of tomorrow’s hearing on Chinese espionage in the military. Chinese intelligence typically used blackmail, Internet-based communications, bribery or debts to loan sharks to leverage active service personnel to do its bidding, it said. China’s main goals are to collect intelligence, and develop a