Taipei prosecutors investigating the Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳) sex-VCD case said yesterday they found 10 hidden cameras and audio-recording devices installed in the female politician's apartment, former office and car.
In addition, investigators have retrieved a cassette tape and notebook from Kuo Yu-ling (郭玉鈴), who police suspect was behind the filming of a 40-minute sex video allegedly featuring Chu and her married lover.
Kuo, a "spiritual-growth" instructor and a former friend of Chu, was detained by prosecutors on Wednesday.
On Thursday, police searching Chu's Tamsui apartment found one camera and two audio-recording devices in her living room. They also found a camera in Chu's bedroom that wasn't discovered during an initial search.
Two more cameras and audio-recording devices were found in Chu's car.
At Chu's former office at Hsinchu's Cultural Affairs Bureau, investigators located two audio recorders. They earlier had found cables attached to a computer that may have been connected to a video or audio-recording device.
Also, police suspect Chu's cellphone may contain an eavesdropping device.
Prosecutors searching Kuo's apartment on Thursday turned up 26 blank cassette tapes and a notebook containing names and telephone numbers.
In addition, officials at the Taipei Detention House, where Kuo is being held, recovered a recorded cassette tape from the suspect's purse.
It is not yet known what is on the tape.
According to prosecutors, Kuo said she bought 30 blank cassette tapes in Hsinchu for possible "litigation reasons." Four of the tapes are missing, and police are seeking their whereabouts.
Kuo hasn't said where the four tapes are located.
Investigators yesterday also refused to say what was contained in Kuo's notebook.
But they said that based on its contents, they may need to question Tsai Jen-chien (
According to prosecutors, Tsai and Kuo visited a private detective agency together to inquire about hidden cameras.
Kuo concedes she installed a pinhole camera in Chu's apartment, but she said she did so at her former friend's request.
Tsai has avoided reporters in recent days. Lin Cheng-chieh (
Meanwhile, two Taipei City councilors -- the KMT's Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) and the DPP's Yen Sheng-kuan (顏聖冠) -- have urged the city government yesterday to crack down on hidden cameras that may be installed in public restrooms and fitting rooms.
"While authorities are investigating the Chu case, many female individuals are being filmed by hidden cameras," Lin said.
Yen said her office had received e-mails containing photos of women using public restrooms at a shopping mall. She said the photos highlight the problem of hidden cameras.
"The images captured by hidden cameras in public restrooms have been circulating on the Internet," Yen said. "This not only invades women's privacy but also violates women's rights. We hope the city government will look into the problem more seriously."
The city councilors said the restrooms of all restaurants, hotels, department stores, shopping malls and parks in Taipei should be checked for hidden cameras.
They also suggested establishing a database of people who have purchased cameras.
A city government representative said Taipei has already writen regulations governing public restrooms, but are waiting to be passed by the city council.
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
‘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
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s