Local media reported yesterday the strategy adviser to the president and former Chief of the General Staff Liu Ho-chien (
Liu is the highest-ranking military official to date to be barred from leaving the country.
Lu Jen-fa (盧仁發), State Public Prosecutor-General and convener of the special task force investigating Yin's murder, neither confirmed nor denied the news that Liu had been barred from leaving the country.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
Lu's task force found there were suspicious monetary transactions in bank accounts belonging to Liu's relatives during the years of the Lafayette frigate deal, Chinese-language media reports said yesterday.
The task force also believes it was Liu who tipped off Shan Yi-cheng (
Shan returned to Taiwan in July and prosecutors are investigating allegations that he used bribery to win a contract for German-made minesweepers.
The report said that according to investigations, another arms broker, Andrew Wang (汪傳浦), left the country after Yin's murder and may be involved in the case.
Wang was the representative in Taiwan for the French Lafayette manufacturer Thomson CSF.
According to the reports, members of the task force suspect that transactions detected in bank accounts held by Liu's relatives may have been bribery money paid by Wang.
However, the report quoted members of the investigative task force as saying that the restriction placed on Liu's travel did not indicate Liu's involvement in the crimes, but was merely investigative procedure.
Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary-General to the President Eugene Chien (
"The Yin case must be solved completely. However, human rights must be respected. All men are equal before the law and the government will not take further action before evidence has been gathered," he said.
Lu refused to respond to specifics concerning the travel ban.
"[Information related to the] investigation shall not be made public. I cannot say yes or no," Chien said.
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
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS