The Control Yuan yesterday censured the National Police Ad-ministration and the Taipei City Police Headquarters for seriously damaging the police force's image of being capable of enforcing the law.
The damage to police respectability, according to the Control Yuan, resulted from scandals where it was found that some municipal policemen ran call-girl services and detained prostitutes to extort money from their managers during 2000 and 2001.
In addition, Control Yuan members also censured the two agencies for their failure to discipline the police force over the past five years. The Yuan says 1,511 police officers went to China, Hong Kong and Macao over the past 5 years without obtaining permission from the government.
In an investigative report that was released yesterday, Control Yuan members Chan Yi-chang (詹益彰), Kuo Shih-chi (郭石吉), Ko Min-mou (柯明謀), and Li You-chi (李友吉) pointed out that policemen Huang Hsin-chin (黃新進), Chiang Jen-tso (江仁佐) and Su Tang-yi (蘇唐儀) of the Ta-an police precinct, detective Lin Chia-fu (林家福) of the Chungshan police precinct and other officers were found to have engaged in illegal dealings. These dealings were mainly the detaining of prostitutes to extort money or the running of call-girl services during 2000 and 2001.
At least 10 policemen were proven to have been involved in the scandals though some cases are still being prosecuted.
The Taiwan government allows Chinese brides to enter Taiwan to visit their husbands after they get married. But criminal groups use young Taiwanese men to marry Chinese women and then bring them to Taiwan to become prostitutes and make money for them. In 2000 and 2001, it became evident that many policemen extorted money from this racket while they were actually supposed to clamp down on it.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
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