Taiwanese police said yesterday that their mainland counterparts had arrested an elderly tourist from Heilongjiang province accused of stealing a medal that nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek presented to a hero general during the second world war.
Police say Qiao Zhaoqing, 77, stole the medal from its display case on Friday during a visit to the memorial museum in Quemoy, the once heavily fortified outpost on the Fujian coast that remains under Taiwan's control.
Qiao was arrested by police in Shandong province on Monday while he was returning to Harbin by train, Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau said.
'They found the medal in the suspect's backpack after searching him thoroughly,' a spokeswoman said.
The Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun was awarded to General Hu Lien in 1943 for his bravery while leading troops against invading Japanese forces.
Hu followed Chiang's nationalist forces to Taiwan after their defeat by the communists in 1949. Quemoy has become a popular destination for mainland tourists due to its location less 2 kilometres from Xiamen .
