The International Labor Associa-tion yesterday accused the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei of colluding with former New Party legislator Elmer Fung (馮滬祥) in reaching an out-of-court settlement between him and a Filipina housekeeper whom Fung is accused of raping during the Lunar New Year holidays.
The association also accused MECO of colluding with Fung in sending her home.
According to the association, Fung raped the 25-year-old woman, identified only as Rose, whom he had hired to take care of his mother-in-law, on the afternoon of Jan. 23.
Association chairwoman Chen Su-hsiang (
"MECO officials, as well as Fung's wife and lawyer, told her that she had only two choices. One was to fight a legal battle, which they said could land her in jail if she lost. They said her second choice was to reach an out-of-court settlement, take the money, go home and start a new life," Chen said.
Rose chose to settle out of court and returned to the Philippines on Jan. 29.
Chen said the association learned about the case on Jan. 26 when Rose was already "under house arrest" by MECO and that she was sent home in such a short time that it could hardly do anything for her.
Chen questioned Fung's claim that it was a simple case of the housekeeper running away, saying "there wouldn't be any need for an out-of-court settlement then."
Chen said that the association had obtained a copy of the settlement and other evidence, which it will make public if Fung keeps lying to the public.
According to the Council of Labor Affairs, Rose was given NT$800,000 in the settlement.
The council said MECO reported the case and requested assistance on Jan. 27, but the woman returned home on Jan. 29 and no contact with her was allowed.
Chen also criticized Taipei City's labor affairs bureau for not intervening in the matter.
Fung, who returned from China yesterday, said the rape allegation was an underhanded tactic employed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to prevent him from campaigning for the pan-blue camp.
He said that the settlement money was the salary for the two years that Rose did not finish working for his family.
Feeling sorry that the maid had been manipulated by others and knowing that she already regretted what she had done, Fung and his wife thus agreed to give her the money, Fung said, without clarifying his statements.
Fung said he was ready to protest against the New Party's suspension of his membership over the rape allegations and to sue Chen as well as an unspecified newspaper he accused of misleading the public regarding the case.
MECO defended its handling of the case yesterday, arguing that the woman chose to fly home as soon as possible rather than sue Fung.
In a statement, MECO said that it had received a phone call from the woman on Jan. 23, in which she complained that she had been sexually attacked by her employer.
MECO said a staffer immediately took the woman to MacKay Memorial Hospital for treatment before filing a complaint with the Chungshan Police Station.
The woman was then lodged by MECO pending the legal process and the office retained a lawyer specializing in industrial disputes to inform the woman about her legal rights.
In related news, Shilin District Court Prosecutor Pai Chih-chung (
Pai said he will summon the former maid even though she has returned to her home.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS