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Ma bodyguard acted 'inappropriately'

The Presidential Office yesterday said that a bodyguard of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had acted “inappropriately” while under the influence of alcohol, but rejected allegations that he had sexually harassed a female flight attendant onboard the presidential plane when Ma visited the nation's diplomatic allies in Central America in June.

Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said that some media reports about disciplinary problems in Ma's security detail were “groundless” and were “not entirely true.”

“But because the president pays great attention to the issue, we will seek to better understand the situation and punish anyone responsible if there is concrete evidence to substantiate the claims,” he said.

Wang made the remarks in response to media inquiries about reports by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister paper) and the China Times yesterday.

Wang said investigations showed that the bodyguard had received two reprimands for drinking and making inappropriate remarks on the presidential plane. Wang, however, dismissed reports that the bodyguard had sexually harassed a flight attendant.

The reports also alleged that some of Ma's senior security detail had drinking problems and that first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) had witnessed their bad behavior.

Wang dismissed the reports as “hearsay,” saying there was no concrete evidence to support the allegations.

Nonetheless, all presidential bodyguards have been ordered not to consume alcohol on or off duty since June, he said.

The National Security Bureau (NSB) confirmed yesterday that adjustments have been made in Ma's security detail, but dismissed speculation that the changes were made because of disciplinary problems, saying individual changes were made every two years.

Regarding reports that some bodyguards may have leaked information about Ma's private activities to the media, Wang said he understood that reporters got their information from other channels and not Ma's bodyguards.

Commenting on the matter, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-ming (帥化民) said the Presidential Office should replace all of the president's bodyguards, adding that those who recommended the bodyguards should be disciplined.

KMT Legislator Justin Chou (周守訓) urged the NSB to review the procedure it used in selecting bodyguards for the president.

Wang also defended Ma's short visit to Pingtung's Linbian Township (林邊) on Sunday, saying Ma never intended to sit down and talk with typhoon victims but stayed anyway because the public demanded it.

During an inspection trip to Pingtung County on Sunday, Linbian residents angrily besieged Ma's vehicle when he was about to leave. They demanded he spend some time with them and listen to their grievances. Ma then stayed for 20 more minutes.

In related news, the NSB yesterday said it planned to spend NT$10 million (US$300,000) to purchase four four-wheel-drive vehicles for Ma when he inspects disaster areas in mountainous areas.

The bureau said the money would come from this year's budget, adding that the procurement plan complies with the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法).

In other news, as some people have expressed concern about a real estate company's newspaper advertisement featuring Ma and former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), Wang yesterday urged the contractor to respect Ma's rights and refrain from using the picture again to promote its new apartment complex in Shilin District (士林).

Wang also said that Ma had lost some weight over the past two months on the advice of his medical team to cut down on food and exercise regularly. The Chinese-language United Daily News has reported that Ma has lost 8kg over the past two months by halving his daily food consumption.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
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