A jobless Taiwan man released from prison stole a box of cotton swabs just to get arrested again because he "could not forget the police department boxed lunches," officers said yesterday.

The homeless man in Taipei who first stole a pair of shoes on Sunday, was detained and released. He then resorted to stealing again the next day just to get back inside in time for lunch.

"If someone's not doing well and comes in around meal time, we'll definitely prepare food," said an officer at the Hsinyi District police station, which handled the case but again released the suspect, Tsou Hao-lan.

In another sign of the times on the recession-hit island, a man who had been without a job for four months stole a motor scooter and drove it to a Taipei-area police station hoping that he, too, would be put behind bars and enjoy a hot meal, the Liberty Times newspaper reported.

(Shanghai Daily June 17, 2009)