A former judge and New Party legislator returned to Taiwan yesterday to face a three-month jail term stemming from defamation charges, having decided against paying an NT$81,000 fine that would have allowed her to avoid imprisonment.
Hsieh Chi-ta (
Hsieh, Feng and Tai had claimed that Tseng attempted to flee to New York after the 2000 presidential election with US$85 million in cash, but was turned back by customs officials.
PHOTO: TONY YAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Hsieh arrived at CKS International Airport on a flight from Beijing at 2:40pm yesterday and was immediately arrested as a wanted convict. The former New Party legislator had for 11 years been a judge at the Ilan District Court, Hsinchu District Court and the Taiwan High Court Hualien Branch.
After identification and a short interrogation at the airport, Hsieh was escorted to the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office to begin her jail term. Because she arrived on a weekend, Hsieh was to be temporarily housed at the Taipei Detention House in Panchiao and transferred to the women's prison in Taoyuan today.
Hundreds of New Party members gathered at the airport around noon yesterday to show their support for Hsieh, despite her fugitive status. Hundreds of police officers were on hand to keep order, but no incidents were reported.
As Hsieh walked off the plane, two policewomen arrested her. Before they escorted her to the interrogation room she was allowed to read an announcement to the press.
Hsieh, accompanied by New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (
"What she did was a bad example to the public," said Cheng Chen-lung (
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
RSS