Week Six-巴黎恐怖攻擊

PARIS ATTACKS: Government condemns ‘terrorism’

Sun, Nov 15, 2015

 By Alison Hsiao and Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporters, with CNA

The government yesterday condemned the series of attacks in Paris on Friday and expressed condolences, with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) saying that Taiwan stands side-by-side with the people of France.

Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to locate Taiwanese living, studying or traveling in France, as well as to provide assistance to Taiwanese tour groups if needed.

According to the Tourism Bureau, 145 tourists from five Taiwanese tour groups in France were all safe, adding that no Taiwanese travel agencies had reported being affected by the attacks.

The foreign ministry said it would not raise the travel alert level for France, but called for people to be alert to security problems and refrain from unnecessary travel to Paris.

The foreign ministry and its representative office in France are to continue observing developments after the attacks, which have claimed at least 128 lives.

Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also expressed her sympathy for the French.

“The terrorist attacks in Paris are not only attacks on France, but also on the values of freedom and democracy shared by the international community,” Tsai said in a press release. “At a troubling time like this, we would like to extend our support to France and the French people to overcome the difficulties.”

She condemned the attacks, while extending sympathy to the people affected, adding that she gives her best wishes to the people of France that they might return to a normal, peaceful life as soon as possible.

“Acts of terror and violence that destroy people’s lives and threatens freedom are to be condemned by all,” Tsai said. “It’s something intolerable in a civilized society.”

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), who is in the US, expressed his “gravest protest” against the attacks.

The whole world is now on high alert over national security and public safety, which are every nation’s greatest concern, Chu said.

Chu said he hopes policies drawn up would aim for “better harmony” and “not allow terror attacks to happen in Taiwan.”

Security is the most vital aspect of a nation, he said, adding that every crisis would be costly for society.

The Taipei 101 skyscraper joined New York in putting on red, white and blue lighting displays to show solidarity with people affected by the attacks.

The lighting — turned on at 5:30pm — symbolized the French national flag, while elsewhere six games of baseball’s Premier 12 competition across the nation observed minutes of silence to honor those who lost their lives.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2015/11/16/2003632560

Structure of the Lead:

WHO-The government

WHEN-yesterday

WHAT-condemned the series of attacks in Paris on Friday and expressed condolences

WHY- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to locate Taiwanese living, studying or traveling in France, as well as to provide assistance to Taiwanese tour groups if needed

WHERE-not given

HOW-The Taipei 101 skyscraper joined New York in putting on red, white and blue lighting displays to show solidarity with people affected by the attacks

Keywords:

1.condolence  慰問

2.refrain  抑制

3.condemn  譴責

4.aspect  觀點

Week Five-曼谷爆炸

Suspects indicted for Bangkok bombing

Wed, Nov 25, 2015 

A military court in Thailand yesterday indicted two men accused of carrying out a deadly bombing at a central Bangkok shrine that left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured.

The Aug. 17 blast at the popular Erawan Shrine was one of the most deadly acts of violence in Bangkok in decades. Authorities have declined to call it an act of terrorism out of apparent fear that it would hurt the nation’s huge tourism industry.

The two suspects, identified as Bilal Mohammad and Mieraili Yusufu, were indicted on 10 counts — none of them terrorism charges — connected to the blast. The charges included conspiracy to explode bombs and commit premeditated murder, defense lawyer Chuchart Kanpai said.

Both men have been described by officials as ethnic Uighurs from western China’s Xinjiang region. Officials said the blast was carried out by a people-smuggling gang seeking revenge on Thai authorities for cracking down on their operation.

Thai officials said there was no political or religious motive behind the attack, but skepticism about the police explanation on the shrine attack has abounded because of leaks, contradictions, misstatements and secrecy surrounding the investigation.

Bilal and Yusufu have been held at an army base since their arrests in late August and early September respectively.

Media was not allowed to enter the military court yesterday and the indictments took place before the suspects arrived, their lawyer said.

They are being tried at a military court inside an army base in Bangkok because cases of “national security” have been handled by the military since May last year, when the army seized power in a coup from an elected government.

Former National Police Chief Somyot Poomphanmuang before his retirement in September said that the case against the two suspects was supported by closed-circuit television footage, witnesses, DNA matching and physical evidence, in addition to their confessions.

Security camera footage from the Erawan Shrine showed a man wearing a yellow T-shirt sit down on a bench at the outdoor shrine, take off a black backpack and then leave it behind as he stood up and walked away. Time stamps showed he left the shrine just minutes before the blast occurred, during evening rush hour as the area in central Bangkok was filled with people.

Police believe that Bilal is the yellow-shirted man who planted the bomb and Yusufu is believed to have detonated the bomb.

Bilal was initially identified as Adem Karadag, which was the name on a fake Turkish passport in his possession when he was arrested Aug. 29. He was arrested at one of two apartments police raided on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Yusufu was arrested Sept. 1 near the Thai-Cambodia border, carrying a Chinese passport indicating he was from Xinjiang. Police said his DNA and fingerprints were found in both raided apartments, including on a container of gunpowder.

Police said they have confessions from the two, and Bilal’s lawyer said his client admitted planting the deadly bomb at the behest of another suspect, who remains a fugitive. He said Bilal was induced to carry out the action by a promise that his emigration to Turkey would be expedited.

Early speculation about the bombing suggested it might be the work of Uighur separatists who were angry that Thailand in July forcibly repatriated more than 100 Uighurs to China, where it is feared they face persecution. The theory was bolstered by the fact that the Erawan Shrine is popular among Chinese tourists, who figured prominently among the victims of the bombing.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2015/11/25/2003633306

Structure of the Lead:

WHO-Bilal Mohammad and Mieraili Yusufu

WHEN-yesterday

WHAT-A military court in Thailand yesterday indicted two men accused of carrying out a deadly bombing at a central Bangkok shrine that left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured.

WHY-not given

WHERE-Thailand

HOW-not given

Keywords:

1.indict  控告

2.conspiracy  陰謀

3.premeditated  有計畫的

4.smuggling 走私

5.leak  漏洞

6.contradiction  矛盾

7.detonate  使爆炸

8.