The US is displeased with the Taiwanese media's revelation of a mishandled incident whereby a security official forced Taiwan's first lady to undergo a security check at an airport in Washington last month, the Taipei Times learned on Thursday.
A source from Taiwan's delegation at the APEC summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, said US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly, who is a member of the US summit delegation, expressed dissatisfaction with the disclosure.
The official said the US did not understand why the DPP revealed the information to the media given that the incident had long past and Washington had apologized.
A Chinese-language newspaper reported a few days ago that first lady Wu Shu-chen (
The search took place in the airport's VIP room when she was leaving for Los Angeles on Sept. 26.
Reports said that US Secretary of State Colin Powell had phoned President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to explain the incident and apologize.
The disclosure of the incident has triggered a commotion in political circles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promised to penalize the officials responsible, and Taiwan's top representative to the US, Chen Chien-jen (
The source at APEC said the incident was widely known among Wu's delegation, but both US and Taiwanese officials decided to keep it under wraps because it was regarded as a minor flaw which did not affect the first lady's trip.
After the public disclosure, the government explained to the US that the reports were the result of the media's pursuit of the story.
But the source said the explanation has not yet allayed the US' anger.
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