With mudslinging among the presidential candidates intensifying, independent James Soong (
The first case came yesterday as Soong was accused of libel by the younger brother of a presidential aide, who claims that Soong defamed him by bringing up an old accusation he had already been cleared of legally.
Su Chih-jen
Su Chih-jen said yesterday that a 1996 court ruling had cleared him of any malfeasance. Former legislator Ju Kao-cheng (
Su is asking the court for NT$20 million from Soong, whom he alleged was trying to cover up his own scandals by diverting public attention.
"Soong has been avoiding giving straight answers to questions about his financial transactions. Now he simply wants to dodge the issue by trying to put the spotlight on people who are totally irrelevant. This is all a ploy aimed at the media," Su said.
Last December, KMT legislator Yang Chi-hsiung (
Tu Yu-ming (
He also claimed Soong was making the remarks on the basis of media reports, not out of personal malice.
Yen Jung-chang (
"It's up to the voters to clear Soong of these malicious accusations," he said.
Independent legislator Lin Ruey-tu
Lin's remarks did not directly implicate Soong in corruption, but they have become a point on which the other candidates have focused.
The Presidential Office, meanwhile, issued a rare, sternly worded statement condemning Soong
Soong's comments on procurement referred to a recently released Rand Corporation report which suggested that Taiwan's defense policy and procurement decision-making processes are poorly coordinated both within the top leadership and between the civilian and military elite.
The Presidential Office statement said Soong's remarks about the report were inappropriate and a serious insult to both the Presidential Office and all servicemen.
Noting that the government has consistently conducted very careful and prudent evaluations of all arms deals, the statement stressed that Taiwan has drawn up weaponry procurement plans based on defense needs and arsenal modernization projects.
"It is regrettable that Soong has deliberately disseminated the erroneous Rand Corporation report even after the Ministry of National Defense and other relevant government agencies had refuted it," the statement said, adding that Soong should assume legal responsibility for airing false allegations against the government.
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
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TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
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