The State Public Prosecutor-General, who is heading the multi-disciplinary group set up to probe the unsolved killing of a naval captain, is optimistic that all parties concerned can work together toward the common goal.
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday announced the formation of the ad hoc cross-ministry task force to investigate the murder of Yin Ching-feng (尹清楓) and related military procurement corruption cases. The group will meet for the first time this morning.
State Public Prosecutor-General Lu Jen-fa (
"It should be no problem for the armed forces to cooperate with the prosecutors in the investigation of this case," Lu said.
The departments represented in the task force include: the Public Prosecutors' Office of the Taiwan High Court, the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, the Ilan District Prosecutors' Office, the Military High Court's Prosecutors' Office, the Military Judge Advocate Bureau, the North Mobile Unit of the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the National Police Administration and the Criminal Investigation Bureau. All the units have had a part in the investigation of the Yin and other relevant cases.
Before Chen's press conference yesterday morning, Premier Tang Fei (
The Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office had planned to hold a meeting attended by prosecutors investigating different parts of the related cases today to seek cooperation in the investigation, but the meeting was cancelled because of the establishment of the Supreme Court-level task force.
In the meantime, however, the supposed procurement of a tape of the testimony of a key witness in the Yin case by military prosecutors was delayed yesterday.
Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) and Yin's widow Li Mei-kuei (李美葵) on July 25 visited former naval Captain Kuo Li-heng at a Hsintien military prison where Kuo is serving a life sentence for receiving bribes from an arms broker in a related weapons procurement case. Until now, the military has failed to comply with the prosecutors' request to produce a full transcript of what was said during the visit.
At the request of High Court Prosecutor Hung Wei-hua's (洪威華), the military sent the original tape recording to Hung on July 29. But the military admitted that the quality of the recording was bad and only "20 of out of 100 words can be discerned." Hung therefore refused to accept the tape. Lee Ching-hua was angry about this and accused the military of damaging the tape on purpose.
But on Sunday the military said that they had found and solved the technical problems causing the bad quality of the tape and a new and improved copy and the script was supposed to be handed to prosecutors yesterday afternoon.
But yesterday afternoon the military informed the prosecutor the script was not yet completed.
Taiwan High Court Prosecutor General Lin Jie-der (
Lee Ching-hua yesterday also visited Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary