Amid a shouting match between pan-blue and pan-green supporters outside the Kaohsiung District Court yesterday, the court held the first proceeding of a case filed against Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), in which she stands accused of neglecting her duties during a typhoon day that left almost half of the city flooded.
Supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician cheered outside the court as the mayor arrived at about 8am, while protesters chanted “Chen Chu, step down.”
KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), one of those who brought the case against the mayor, was escorted into the court by KMT Greater Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Huang Chao-shun’s (黃昭順) campaign staffers.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
While police officers had been dispatched by the city government to separate supporters of the DPP and the KMT, members of both camps still engaged in verbal exchanges.
When Chen left the court, chaos erupted and one of Huang’s staffers was sent to the hospital after suffering an injury in the confusion.
Chiu and Huang have accused Chen of neglecting her mayoral duties when almost half of the city’s districts were flooded because of torrential rain brought by Typhoon Fanapi on Sept. 19.
Chen admitted after the typhoon that she returned to her residence for a short nap after inspecting flooded areas earlier that day.
However, Chiu alleged Chen was enjoying a hot spring in Kaohsiung County’s Tienliao Township (田寮).
Chen accused the judiciary of trying to affect her performance in the upcoming Greater Kaohsiung mayoral election by arraigning her hearing shortly after Chiu and Huang filed the suit.
“I hope prosecutors complete the investigation into the allegations efficiently,” she said when approached by reporters for comment, adding that Chiu and Huang should present evidence to prove their allegation.
Chen also complained about prosecutors’ decision not to arraign Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), who was also sued by Kaohsiung County councilors on similar accusations.
Yang is running against Chen and Huang as an independent candidate.
Lending support for Chen, the DPP legislative caucus held a press conference in Taipei yesterday, accusing the KMT of relying on judicial interference for assistance in the campaign in the run-up to the Nov. 27 special municipality elections.
DPP caucus whip Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said that yesterday was the first day Chen took leave from her mayoral duties to campaign for her re-election and she had to spend it in court.
The fact that the Kaohsiung District Court had handled the case with such speed was evidence that the KMT was manipulating the judiciary, he said.
“This is an ugly day in the country’s constitutional history,” Pan said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS