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Cabinet denies lawmaker made request for its help

""I think most of the people have missed the point here. The key to this matter is not from where he got the invitation, but how he got on China's recommendation list and why he accepted the offer."

Lin Chia-lung..... cabinet spokesman

The Executive Yuan yesterday denied that PFP lawmaker Kao Ming-chien (高明見) had written a letter to Premier Yu Shyi-kun asking for the government's assistance to deal with his invitation by China to attend the WHO-held anti-SARS meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

"I think most of the people have missed the point here. The key to this matter is not from where he got the invitation, but how he got on China's recommendation list and why he accepted the offer," Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told the press conference held after the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.

To straighten things up once and for all, Lin said, Kao should act like a responsible adult and explain the matter to the public upon returning from his trip.

Despite the imbroglio, Lin said that the government will continue to participate in future international events and medical cooperation programs, as long as national dignity is safeguarded and public health and security are ensured.

According to Lin, the National Security Council had expressed its concern over the matter and the foreign ministry had told Kao to stay alert and handle the matter. carefully.

"I hope he didn't do it intentionally. This matter only highlights the fact that China has never given up its efforts to belittle and suppress Taiwan," Lin said. "The public has to be aware of the sneaky tricks China plays and be scrupulous while dealing with it."

While the foreign ministry had originally planned to hold a pre-event discussion with participants, including Kao, Lin said that the ministry later decided against it for fear that it might lead the public and international community to misconstrue that Kao was one of the government's representatives at the meeting.

The delegates recommended by the government to the WHO were Director of Center for Disease Control Su Ih-jen (蘇益仁), Academia Sinica researcher Ho Mei-shang(何美鄉), and two medical doctors from National Taiwan University Hospital -- Chang Shang-chwen (張上淳) and Chen Pei-jer (陳培哲).

Unable to handle the mounting pressure from the brouhaha surrounding the controversy, Kao's wife was rushed to the hospital yesterday and was later discharged.

Kao's office issued a statement yesterday afternoon, stating that Kao does not rule out the possibility of pressing charges against the media and government officials for releasing what he says is false information about him.

"We have documents to prove that Lawmaker Kao indeed asked for help from the government and did learned from the foreign ministry that he was one of the government's representatives at the meeting," the statement said.
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