The director-general of the National Police Agency, Hou You-yi (
Hou said police have identified a suspect who will be arrested soon.
Hou made the remarks in response to reporters' questions after Legislator Huang Chao-shun (
Earlier yesterday, Legislator Lee Chen-nan (
Lee said the bullet was from a rifle, the kind of weapon that could penetrate a normal bullet-proof vest. If the letter was not a joke, he said, it was a very serious matter.
Besides Huang and Lee, four other lawmakers have received similar letters, including Hsieh Hsin-ni (
Lee pointed out that in addition to himself, six other lawmakers received similar letters at the same time yesterday. Saying that the sender of the threatening mail was too bold to respect the law. Lee urged police to solve the case as soon as possible.
According to the police, the threatening letters have been sent by a single individual -- likely a political fanatic dissatisfied with the country's current political situation -- because the Chinese characters on the letters appear to have come from the same printer.
The threatening letters triggered safety concerns among lawmakers that surfaced following the death of Taipei County Councilor Wu Shan-jeou (吳善九) of the People First Party, who was shot several times by a lone gunman at his office in Taipei County on May 23.
Before the gangland-style killing, Wu had also received a threatening letter containing a bullet.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear