Armed Inmates Take Warden, Others Hostage In Taiwan Prison TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Six inmates took prison staff including the warden hostage, seized guns and ammunition, and demanded safe exit from a prison in southern Taiwan on Wednesday, authorities said.
Taiwan's Ministry of Justice said it had not agreed to the demands of the inmates, who were holding Warden Chen Shih-chih and another prison official after the pair offered to swap themselves for earlier hostages. No injury had been reported, the ministry said. The inmates — serving long sentences for burglary, murder and drug crimes — also seized from the prison's armory four rifles, six handguns, and more than 200 bullets, the ministry said. Witnesses interviewed by private cable news station TVBS said gunshots were heard. Other reports said the shots were fired into the air.
Within hours, armed police had surrounded the prison in the port city of Kaohsiung, and snipers were shown arriving at the scene, according to live feed by TVBS. Authorities also had called on relatives of the inmates to plea for the release of the hostages.
The inmates demanded the police force be withdrawn and that two fully fueled vehicles be provided to allow them to leave in exchange for the safety of the detainees, but the ministry said it turned down the requests.
"The priority now is to negotiate and we won't just answer to their demands right away," said Chen Ming-tang, deputy minister of justice. "Certainly we have to consider the safety of the hostages."
Authorities identified Cheng Li-teh as the man who led the confrontation. Cheng is a member of the well-known mafia-type organization Bamboo Union, and he is serving a 28½-year sentence for homicide, the justice ministry said. The other five are serving sentences ranging from 25 years to life.
The inmates used the need for medical care as a pretense to lure prison guards before kidnapping them, the official Central News Agency said. Other media reports suggested the move had been premeditated.
The Ministry of Justice said deputy warden Lai Chen-jung and head guard Wang Shih-tsang volunteered to swap with the two guards who were initially taken hostage. Later, Chen, the prison warden, offered to exchange with Lai as a hostage.
President Ma Ying-jeou requested that authorities stay calm and ensure the safety of the hostages and of those on the scene, said Ma Wei-kuo, spokesman for the president's office.
Taiwan's Ministry of Justice said it had not agreed to the demands of the inmates, who were holding Warden Chen Shih-chih and another prison official after the pair offered to swap themselves for earlier hostages. No injury had been reported, the ministry said. The inmates — serving long sentences for burglary, murder and drug crimes — also seized from the prison's armory four rifles, six handguns, and more than 200 bullets, the ministry said. Witnesses interviewed by private cable news station TVBS said gunshots were heard. Other reports said the shots were fired into the air.
Within hours, armed police had surrounded the prison in the port city of Kaohsiung, and snipers were shown arriving at the scene, according to live feed by TVBS. Authorities also had called on relatives of the inmates to plea for the release of the hostages.
The inmates demanded the police force be withdrawn and that two fully fueled vehicles be provided to allow them to leave in exchange for the safety of the detainees, but the ministry said it turned down the requests.
"The priority now is to negotiate and we won't just answer to their demands right away," said Chen Ming-tang, deputy minister of justice. "Certainly we have to consider the safety of the hostages."
Authorities identified Cheng Li-teh as the man who led the confrontation. Cheng is a member of the well-known mafia-type organization Bamboo Union, and he is serving a 28½-year sentence for homicide, the justice ministry said. The other five are serving sentences ranging from 25 years to life.
The inmates used the need for medical care as a pretense to lure prison guards before kidnapping them, the official Central News Agency said. Other media reports suggested the move had been premeditated.
The Ministry of Justice said deputy warden Lai Chen-jung and head guard Wang Shih-tsang volunteered to swap with the two guards who were initially taken hostage. Later, Chen, the prison warden, offered to exchange with Lai as a hostage.
President Ma Ying-jeou requested that authorities stay calm and ensure the safety of the hostages and of those on the scene, said Ma Wei-kuo, spokesman for the president's office.
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