Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
"It's a bad thing that the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] is saying that my husband beat me because he treats me very well," she told reporters at the pan-blue alliance's campaign headquarters yesterday evening.
Her appearance came several hours after a former neighbor of the couple had issued a statement saying that he had heard of rumors decades ago that Lien beat his wife.
Lin Fu-shen (
Lin's statement said that when he was a neighbor of the Lien family between 1968 and 1970, he heard Lien's maid saying Lien would sometimes beat his wife.
Lin and Lien were members of National Taiwan University's political science department at the time.
"Mr Lien Chan's maid would come to my place to chat with my maid, talking about some episodes in the Lien family's life," the 76-year old Lin wrote.
"[Lien's maid said] Lien sometimes would abuse and beat Fang Yu," Lin wrote.
Lien Fang Yu appeared at the campaign headquarters along with a woman who had worked as a maid for the Lien family during the period mentioned by Lin.
The woman, surnamed Wen, told reporters that she had been surprised by allegations that Lien Chan was a wifebeater because he and his wife were a loving couple.
She said she had worked for the couple for seven years and had never seen the KMT chief beat his wife.
In a phone call with the Taipei Times earlier in the day, Lin said that he and Lien were friends.
"I just happened to hear the chitchat between the maids when I was in the living room when they were talking in there. I did not ask for further details," Lin said.
"I issued the statement because I watched the debate between the two presidential candidates, and when Chen [Shui-bian (
"But Chen was not saying that anyone was a wifebeater, and so I decided to issue my statement," Lin said.
Lin's statement enraged the KMT.
"The incident mentioned by Lin Fu-shen in his statement happened over 30 years ago, and it was hearsay from his maid. It was not something he saw personally. If Lin really knows that Lien beats his wife, why doesn't he show up [in public]?" said KMT spokeswoman Kuo Su-chun (
Kuo urged the DPP to refrain from mudslinging in the campaign and refocus its election strategy on national policies.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS