The Chinese-language media reported yesterday that an unidentified person contacted prosecutors on Tuesday, claiming that a politician from Hsinchu was behind the recent sex VCD scandal.
Suspect Kuo Yu-ling (
The man was questioned by prosecutors afterward and the results led to Kuo being summoned a second time and later detained, the report said.
Prosecutors at the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office denied the report.
Kuo, a "spiritual growth" instructor with a US-based group named Avatar, was detained yesterday on suspicion of involvement in the creation and release of a secretly recorded VCD allegedly depicting a sexual encounter between Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳), the former director of Hsinchu's Cultural Affairs Bureau, and married businessman Tseng Chung-ming (曾仲銘).
Kuo, a close friend of Chu, is believed to have had a falling out with Chu in August. The cause of the soured friendship is still unclear, although local media speculation has suggested a financial dispute and a love triangle.
Kuo, who had the keys to Chu's house in Tamsui, did not return them to Chu until September, the report said.
A detective agency has confirmed with prosecutors that Kuo had bought a pinhole camera and had it installed at Chu's house, the report said.
Investigators suspect Kuo may have installed the pinhole camera as early as July of this year, according to the report. The camera has apparently been removed since then and investigators are still looking into how and where the camera was installed in Chu's bedroom.
Kuo had also taken security tapes out of Chu's apartment complex twice in July, the report said.
Chu is also a former girlfriend of Hsinchu's former DPP mayor Tsai Jen-chien (
On Dec. 1, Tsai lost his re-election bid and Chu lost her legislative bid to represent the New Party in the Taichung constituency.
Meanwhile, the Hsinchu City Government was hit by fallout from the scandal after newly inaugurated KMT Mayor Lin Jeng-jzer (林政則) said the city's anti-corruption department was preparing a report into alleged irregularities in the creation of a special budget for "spiritual growth" courses for city officials while Tsai was in office.
Chu was one of the officials who attended Avatar classes taught by Kuo.
Lin also hinted that the courses were pushed through by a former high-level city official, adding that neither Chu nor Tsai was the official in question.
Lin appeared to be pointing the finger at former deputy mayor Lin Cheng-chieh (
The new Hsinchu mayor did not elaborate on how spending on the spiritual growth course violated regulations, but said the city government will not require its officials to attend any more spiritual courses.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS