Magazine not fazed by threats

The tension between Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and The Journalist (新新聞週報) magazine -- which has alleged that Lu was responsible for spreading the rumor that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was having an affair -- continued to escalate yesterday, as Lu claimed that somebody else must have used her name when making the incriminating telephone call.

A press release from the Presidential Office on Friday evening said, "After having thoroughly read the story in The Journalist, the lawyers in charge of the case have figured out that somebody else must have made the calls. The key point is, who is that person?"

The press release was the second one sent from the Presidential Office that night, following ten minutes after the first one. The part quoted above was newly added by the vice president. The press release was apparently released to the public without having gone through the usual procedures laid down by the Presidential Office.

The content of the statement was subsequently dismissed by the president of The Journalist magazine, Wang Chien-chuang (王健壯), who insisted that there was no doubt that Lu herself had made the telephone calls.

Wang said during a press conference held yesterday that he did not understand why changes were made and a second press release sent out.

Wang said it was questionable for the vice president to claim that somebody else had impersonated her and made the calls.

"How did they reach such a conclusion?" he said.

"If the phone calls were indeed made by somebody pretending to be the vice president, then I'd say that this person was a master of imitation."

Wang also wondered why Lu was focusing on blaming an impersonator rather than clarifying whether she had made the calls, adding that he did not know what the motive behind changing the press release was.

Lu sparked yet more contention when it turned out she had sent the press release out on behalf of the Presidential Office, without informing relevant officials within the presidential building.

"The vice president is also the boss in the Presidential Office. We do not dare to refuse to do what she tells us to do," said Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), director-general of the Department of Public Affairs, who burst into tears after finding out that the unchecked news release had triggered such a dispute within the Presidential Office.

Kuo said the vice president made changes to a previous news statement, and requested the release be sent in the name of the Presidential Office. She said she was bound to obey the vice president's commands.

An official from the Presidential Office, who declined to be named, said that there was no doubt that the authorities would help Lu try and extract herself from her present difficulties.

"But there is a limit to that. There is a difference between national and personal affairs. What Lu is embroiled in is her own business, rather than a matter concerning the whole country. In spite of that, we [officials from the Presidential Office] may do what we can to help her out. But, she still has no right to issue any public statement having to do with a personal matter in the name of the Presidential Office," the source said.