The Special Investigation Panel of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office yesterday brushed off media reports that State Prosecutor-General Chen Tsung-ming (陳聰明) would leave his post once Taipei District Court hands down a ruling in former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) trial.
The Chinese-language weekly Next Magazine reported yesterday that Chen Tsung-ming was considering resigning after allegedly secretly meeting a construction contractor.
DISCUSSED AT MEETING
The magazine said that Chen Tsung-ming had discussed his possible resignation in a meeting with Special Investigation Panel prosecutors.
The prosecutors urged Chen Tsung-ming to stay on until after the Taipei District Court hands down the first ruling in the former president’s corruption trial, the magazine said.
The prosecutor-general has declined to comment on the matter.
REPORT DENIED
Special Investigation Panel Spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said he had heard no such thing and would not comment on the report or speculate on whether the prosecutor-general would resign because he was not Chen Tsung-ming.
However, he then added that the prosecutor-general had not mentioned resigning at the meeting with prosecutors.
Chen Tsung-ming has become the target of criticism by political pundits and has come under investigation by the Ministry of Justice and the Control Yuan since reports emerged that he was treated to expensive meals and dinners with supermodels.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
The presence of Taiwanese politicians at China’s military parade tomorrow would send the wrong message to Beijing and the international community about Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, a national security official said yesterday. China is to hold the parade tomorrow to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. By bringing together leaders of “anti-West” governments such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus, the parade aims to project a symbolic image of an alliance that is cohesive and unbending against Western countries, the national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu
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