A Chinese tourist who was arrested on Monday for entering a military facility and taking pictures was released on his own recognizance late on Tuesday night.
Prosecutor Tseng Chun-tseh (曾俊哲) ordered the man’s release and did not ban him from leaving Taiwan. Tseng took him to the restricted area of the military compound in Taipei City where he was found the previous day, to reconstruct his movements.
The man, identified as Ma Zhongfei (馬中飛), was handed over on Tuesday to the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office for investigation on suspicion of illegally intruding into a military area, which carries a punishment of up to one-year’s imprisonment, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday slammed the prosecutor’s decision to release Ma without imposing a travel ban.
“Ma detected military equipment and achieved his goal, but Taiwan’s judiciary neglected its duty to protect the country,” DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said.
Yu said Ma was caught taking photos of military equipment installed at a computer warfare command center that is part of a military recruitment complex on Keelung Road in downtown Taipei. The recruitment center is open to the general public, but the computer warfare command area is a restricted facility.
Military officers immediately detained Ma after discovering that he had entered a restricted military facility, Yu said.
An initial investigation found that Ma entered Taiwan a few days ago as part of a tourist group from China. Ma is the chairman of a Chinese technology company, which does not appear to have an English name. Its Chinese name can be loosely translated as Guangdong Sikeda Technologies Co Ltd (廣東思科達信息技術有限公司).
Meanwhile, dpp legislator chiu yi-ying (邱議瑩) asked how the prosecutors would summon ma for further questions or bring him to court if he could leave taiwan anytime.
chinese nationalist party (kmt) caucus secretary-general yang chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said: “we respect the judiciary’s decision [to release him]. after all, the judiciary released him after conducting a thorough investigation.”
when asked for comments yesterday, yang described the incident as a “single case,” adding that this should not influence other visits by chinese tourists to taiwan.
but she said the caucus would urge the tourism bureau to have tour guides clearly inform tourists of regulations in taiwan before they arrive.
as part of the investigation, tseng escorted ma on tuesday morning to retrace his movements in taipei.
ma said that he entered the military recruitment center as he was on keelung road on his way to xindian in taipei county, where he planned to pay his respects to a deceased friend, tseng said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND RICH CHANG
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by