Chen stands by Hsieh as probe begins

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that he trusts Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), after an investigation was launched into the scandal-plagued Kaohsiung MRT construction project initiated when Hsieh was Kaohsiung's mayor.

On Saturday, Kaohsiung Mayor Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) announced the establishment of a five-member investigative team to look into controversies surrounding the massive Kaohsiung mass rapid transit (MRT) construction project.

Speculation about Chen's trust in Hsieh arose following Yeh's announcement.

It is widely believed that Chen directed Yeh to launch the inquiry into the problem-ridden project.

Responding to a media query as to whether he still trusts Hsieh, Chen said firmly: "Of course I trust him."

Chen made the response after paying a visit to a 102-year-old resident of Taipei, Lin Chen Jih (林陳曰), as part of celebrations of Senior Citizens' Day which falls on Oct. 11 this year.

According to a report yesterday by local Chinese-language evening paper the China Times Express, the internal DPP interpretation of the president's actions was that it showed his determination to root out corruption. One anonymous high-level DPP official was quoted as saying that he thought that the president would deliver an important speech on Double Ten National Day tomorrow and follow up with further action.

The controversies surrounding the Kaohsiung mass rapid transit system construction surfaced after a group of Thai laborers working on the project rioted on Aug. 21 in protest over unfair and inhumane treatment. Law enforcement authorities have been investigating the cause of the riot and alleged irregularities involved in the employment and management of the Thai workers.

Earlier this week, two of President Chen's advisers -- Chen Che-nan (陳哲男), who once served as a Presidential Office deputy secretary-general, and Chen Min-hsien (陳敏賢), who used to be vice chairman of the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC) -- resigned amid speculation that they might be involved in an illegal profiteering racket between the KRTC and the labor brokerage firm that hired the Thai laborers.

The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP's) approval rating has shown signs of decline since the Aug. 21 riot. As a damage-control measure to prevent the alleged KRTC scandal from eroding support for the DPP ahead of the year-end "three-in-one" elections, President Chen reportedly asked Yeh to form a special investigative team to probe the administrative accountability of past Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayors, including Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), Hsieh and acting mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), in the controversies.

Yeh said Friday that the five-member team's investigation will be conducted "without any limitations." The team, composed of legal and construction experts, will look into alleged conflicts of interest impartially and selflessly and release its findings on Oct. 20, Yeh added.