Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih (史亞平) yesterday dismissed rumors that she was too close to one of former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s (李光耀) sons as “groundless.”
“It is not true. Like all the other rumors, they are all off base,” Shih said.
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) said sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had told him that Lee once pointed his finger at Shih and it seemed that he was “enraged” at Shih or that he “blamed” her for something.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Lee was unhappy with Shih because she was too close to his youngest son, Lee Hsien Yang (李顯揚), Chang said.
Lee Hsien Yang, 55, is married with three children.
Asked to elaborate on the nature of the alleged relationship, Chang said he would like to think that the reason why Shih approached Lee Hsien Yang was for help negotiating a bilateral trade deal — the Agreement between Singapore and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Partnership (ASTEP).
Chang said he viewed the matter from a positive standpoint: that it was for the sake of the ASTEP negotiations “rather than the other way around, as rumored within the ministry.”
In response to Chang’s comments, Shih called for an end to all the rumors.
“The spread of baseless rumors not only causes harm to the parties concerned, it is also impolite to [Lee Hsien Yang],” Shih said.
“I did not have any official dealings with Mr Lee [Hsien Yang] and we had no personal friendship. You could say that I am not acquainted with him. I have made it crystal clear. There is no gray area in the matter,” Shih said.
The rumor surfaced when Chang made it public on a TV political talk show on Wednesday afternoon, at a time when the Control Yuan was struggling to convince the public about its investigation, led by Chou Yang-shan (周陽山), who said he found that Shih “damaged” Taiwan-Singapore relations because of a “dereliction of duty” when she was posted to the country.
The Control Yuan on Wednesday decided to uphold an earlier decision that the results of Chou’s investigation should remain classified to protect relations between Taiwan and Singapore, leaving questions regarding Shih’s performance in the city-state to linger.
Asked if the relationship between Shih and Lee Hsien Yang was part of his findings, Chou said he learned a lot of information during his investigation, but he did not include it all in his report.
“Unless I have evidence beyond a shadow of a doubt, I can’t include it in my report. On that [the alleged relationship], I can only say I have no comment,” Chou said.
Chou said the decision not to declassify the report was made by 16 or 17 of the 20 members of a meeting of the Committee on Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs on Wednesday.
Under fire for not being able to substantiate the charges he brought against Shih, Chou said the central part of his report was based on the daily work record kept by the representative office in Singapore and that was classified information.
Chou has also denied accusations by some KMT lawmakers that he took revenge on Shih because the representative office reportedly did not treat him very well when he was in Singapore.
People First Party Legislator Thomas Lee (李桐豪) yesterday said Chou should consider stepping down if he failed to prove that his investigation was evidence-based.
The way Chou handled the case has dragged Shih’s name through the mud and it has “deeply impaired the credibility of the Control Yuan,” Thomas Lee said.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the Control Yuan decided to keep the report classified because it did not dare to publish it because “the truth is there is no secret. The Control Yuan would only make itself a laughing stock if the report was made public.”
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called for full disclosure of the truth behind Shih’s controversial tenure in Singapore, adding that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should review his personnel policy.
Full disclosure of the Control Yuan’s report on Shih would end the rumors and conspiracy theories about the case, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said.
Shih should be recognized for her efforts if she did everything she could to protect Taiwan’s national interest in Singapore, he said, adding that on the other hand, Shih should be reprimanded if there was any inappropriate conduct.
From disgraced former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世), who has been detained for alleged corruption, to Shih, Ma’s personnel decisions have jeopardized the nation’s internal affairs as well as its diplomatic relations, he added.
Additional reporting by Chris Wang
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS