Liu case controversy: Lien Chan says raid on `Next' magazine wrong

KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday lashed out at the DPP government for the recent raid on Next magazine's offices by prosecutors following the apparent leak of top-secret intelligence documents.

Lien told reporters at a banquet in Taichung that such raids on the media will have a chilling effect inside Taiwan and create a negative image of the country in the eyes of the international community.

Last Tuesday, prosecutors confiscated 160,000 copies of last week's issue of Next magazine, which carries a cover story on secret accounts at the National Security Bureau (NSB). But the magazine has since managed to print more copies of the issue and put them on newsstands.

Lien yesterday stressed that all government budgets, no matter how important, should be brought under legislative supervision.

"Don't tell me that all substantive diplomacy must be done on the sly," Lien said.

When asked by reporters whether he was aware of the existence of secret NSB accounts during his terms as vice president and premier, the KMT chairman said, "When it comes to these illegal institutions outside the [government] system, I must admit I was an outsider."