Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday released financial records from his mayoral campaign last year after former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) claimed that Han received NT$40 million (US$1.3 million) in donations raised by KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義).
According to the records, Han’s campaign raised NT$129,149,779 in donations, of which NT$114,087,536 was spent and more than NT$5 million were returned to the donors.
Individual donations accounted for about 87 percent of the money he raised, while donations from for-profit businesses, political parties and other sources made up about 9 percent, 0.1 percent and 4 percent respectively, the records showed.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Han received 22,409 contributions from individual donors, with each contribution averaging NT$4,813, according to the records.
He received 160 donations from for-profit businesses, averaging NT$72,689 each, the records showed.
The records disprove claims that he received a NT$40 million donation, Han said in a statement.
The numbers in the records have been audited and certified by an accountant, he said, but added that the final numbers still have to be reviewed and posted by the Control Yuan.
Han on Friday vowed that he would resign as mayor if he had accepted NT$40 million from Wu.
Tsai owes him an apology, Han said yesterday, adding that if Tsai does not apologize, their friendship would be over.
He said that he would take legal action against anyone who continues to smear him without evidence, adding that he would quit if proven that he had received NT$40 million in donations from businesses.
Although it might be inappropriate to use such strong words, he felt he needed to prove his innocence in light of the smear campaign against him, he said.
In response, Tsai said that while he had not seen Han’s news conference, he was willing to apologize “for failing to let Han know in advance” that he would be discussing the matter.
However, the point of his comments was not the sum of the donations, Tsai said.
The point was whether Wu helped Han raise funds, he said.
Since both Wu and Han said he did, then “there is nothing to apologize or not apologize for,” Tsai said.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source