Cartoonist and lawmaker remain at odds over VCDs

From left, Professor Hsieh Chih-wei, cartoonist Yu-fu, actress Chiang Hsia and writer Wu Jin-fa yesterday outside the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office. These four were branded by People First Party Legislator Chiu Yi as the brains behind the controversial Special Report VCDs. PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

Cartoonist Yu-fu (魚夫) yesterday asked People First Party Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) to drop his slander suit against him within three days or face a slander suit, while Chiu insisted that he had good reasons for his lawsuit.

"I hereby asked him [Chiu] to drop his suit against me within three days or I will file a suit against him," Yu-fu said. "I think it is time to stop this stupid game."

The pair have been at odds since Nov. 19, when Yu-fu, actress Chiang Hsia (江霞), writer Wu Jin-fa (吳錦發) and Soochow University professor Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) filed a slander suit against Chiu after he accused them of being the writers for the controversial Special Report VCDs, which he said had defamed him.

At that time Yu-fu said that the four would ask for NT$80 million in compensation from Chiu because an unexplained NT$80 million had appeared in Chiu's bank accounts since he became a lawmaker two years ago.

Chiu immediately announced that he would file a countersuit against Yu-fu.

But on Nov. 21, Chiu held a press conference to announce that he would apologize to Yu-fu and Hsieh because he could not find any evidence that they had been the writers for the VCDs.

Yu-fu appeared upset yesterday when he appeared at the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office in response to the prosecutors' summons for Chiu's slander case.

He said that he was really confused by Chiu's actions because the lawmaker had apologized to him but still insisted on suing him.

"I took responsibility for every single word I said," Yu-fu said. "I said that he earned an extra NT$80 million since he became a lawmaker because I got that information from the Control Yuan. It was written down in black and white."

Yu-fu said that government officials' assets are supposed to be supervised and inspected by the public in order to eliminate corruption. Every citizen has the right to question any politician if that person's assets suddenly increase.

Meanwhile, Chiu said Yu-fu has made a huge mistake.

"I have said more than once that the information that Yu-fu got from the Control Yuan was a report of personal assets before I became a lawmaker. Why can't he understand?" Chiu said.

"My apology to him was for the VCD case but my slander suit concerns his false accusation that I embezzled NT$80 million after I became a lawmaker," Chiu said. "This is different matter."