Keelung's Eighteen Arhats Cave demolished, online video sparks community shock

The Eighteen Arhats Cave in Keelung City, a well-known local attraction that has long been closed and abandoned, was recently reported to have been broken into and intentionally vandalized by unidentified individuals. According to police and relevant authorities, two men took advantage of the darkness or times when the area was deserted to sneak into the already sealed cave. They reportedly held objects suspected of being explosives, directly detonating and destroying several statues inside. The incident came to light after the perpetrators or people in the know filmed the vandalism and uploaded the footage to social media platforms. The video subsequently circulated widely online, drawing significant attention and discussion among local residents and netizens.

After discovering the related video online, the Keelung City Police Bureau attached great importance to the matter and immediately formed a task force consisting of the local precinct and the Criminal Investigation Corps to launch an investigation. Upon receiving the report, the police promptly dispatched forensic personnel to the scene to conduct a carpet-style inspection and evidence collection, carefully comparing the marks of vandalism and left-behind items at the scene. Following days of reviewing surrounding surveillance camera footage and tracking digital footprints online, the task force has currently identified and locked onto the identities and whereabouts of the specific suspects. They are making all-out efforts to apprehend the two men heavily implicated in the case to clarify their motives and the origin of the explosives.

The Eighteen Arhats Cave is located near the Zhongzheng Park in Keelung City and holds deep local memories for many Keelung residents. In earlier years, the site was a thriving religious and tourist destination bustling with incense and visitors, housing various deities and statues of the eighteen arhats inside, which attracted many people to worship and tour for years. However, due to the passage of time, shifts in tourism focal points, management responsibilities, and other factors, the facilities gradually aged. For safety reasons, the relevant authorities had long since closed the area, prohibiting the public from entering without authorization, which gradually turned it into an abandoned historical ruin.

Following the vandalism, the incident not only sparked condemnation in local community groups but also reignited discussion across various sectors of society regarding the security and maintenance of abandoned historical spaces and cultural assets. Many citizens expressed bewilderment and indignation that someone would deliberately destroy public and religious facilities, believing that such actions not only show disrespect for local historical memories but also potentially involve public safety issues. Since the suspects allegedly used explosives to carry out the vandalism in the video, their actions not only violated the Criminal Code regarding property damage but may also involve relevant legal regulations such as the Act Governing Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives, posing a potential threat to social security.

As the police task force narrows down on specific targets and actively pursues them, the contours of this case are gradually becoming clearer. The police emphasized that they will uphold a strict attitude of neither wrongly accusing the innocent nor letting the guilty escape, and will deal strictly with any illegal acts that disrupt social order and challenge public authority according to the law, with zero tolerance. This incident also highlights the management blind spots in local abandoned attractions and idle spaces. How to strengthen safety patrols and protection for such historical sites while balancing financial and human resources, and prevent similar acts of vandalism from recurring, will be an important issue that the competent authorities must face seriously in the future.