Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday criticized the Chinese-language Next Magazine for its article suggesting that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has illegally received donations from Ting Hsin International Group (頂新國際集團), owned by the Wei family involved in repeated tainted cooking oil scandals.
The article described Ma, who doubles as chairman of the KMT, as persisting in going his own way, despite strenuous objections from within the KMT, as shown in the party’s recent decision to appeal the Taiwan High Court’s ruling on the party’s revocation of Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng’s (王金平) membership for allegedly trying to influence a judicial case.
Chen said Next Magazine failed to abide by ethical standards of journalism by alleging irregularities involving the head of state and defamed Ma.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The KMT has repeatedly stated that the party did not receive any political contributions from Ting Hsin between 2008 and last year, Chen said, adding that Ma did not receive any donations from the group during his re-election campaign in the 2012 presidential election.
In a statement issued late on Tuesday night, Ma, in his capacity as KMT chairman, rejected the allegation made by Wu Tsu-chia (吳子嘉), a political commentator, that he had received NT$1 billion (US$32.9 million) from Ting Hsin as “groundless,” demanding that Wu issue a public apology before today or face a lawsuit.
The allegation that Ma had assisted the Wei family in growing their businesses in return for political donations has disturbed society, the statement said.
Ma said that he would consider legal action against anyone who continues to make similar insinuations in the media to protect his reputation and that of the party.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique