The Supreme Court will hold a hearing on April 27 to debate a High Court decision that The Journalist magazine did not libel Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) when it reported she told its editor-in-chief that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was having an affair.
"[The lawyers for both sides] will debate whether the defendants are protected by Constitutional Interpretation Article 509," Supreme Court spokesman Lu Yung-fu (
Constitutional Interpretation Article 509 states that "the press is allowed to raise appropriate questions about any suspicious fact or person." However, the article also says that it applies only to criminal cases.
Lu Yung-fu also said it was possible that judges may deliver a verdict in the case on the same day.
The dispute between The Journalist and Lu flared in November 2000, when the magazine published a story accusing Lu of spreading a rumor that Chen was having an affair with one of his female aides.
The magazine said Lu spread the rumor in order to unseat Chen.
Lu filed suit on Dec. 21, 2000, demanding a formal apology from the magazine, saying the story had injured her reputation.
The defendants in the case are editor-in-chief Yang Chao (楊照), president Wang Chien-chuang (王健壯), executive president Jan Hung-chi (詹宏志), publisher Wang Hsing-ching (王杏慶) and reporters Yang Shu-mei (楊舒媚), Wu Yan-ling (吳燕玲) and Tao Ling-yu (陶令瑜).
On April 10, 2002, Judge Lai Yung-hua (
However, Lai ruled that the story damaged Lu's reputation.
He therefore ordered that the six defendants had to "clarify and admit" their mistake and publish a statement to that effect on the front pages of the nation's 32 newspapers as well as broadcasting it on radio and TV for three days.
On Dec. 13, 2002, the High Court upheld the verdict after hearing an appeal by the defendants. Judge Chang Tsung-chuan (
But Chang did order that the defendants buy front-page advertisements for one day in four major Chinese-language newspapers, costing the appellants NT$3.86 million.
Chang declined Lu's request that the defendants broadcast a clarification on radio and television for three days after considering the defendants' ability to pay expenses.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
1.4nm WAFERS: While TSMC is gearing up to expand its overseas production, it would also continue to invest in Taiwan, company chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has applied for permission to construct a new plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區), which it would use for the production of new high-speed wafers, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council, which supervises three major science parks in Taiwan, confirmed that the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau had received an application on Friday from TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, to commence work on the new A14 fab. A14 technology, a 1.4 nanometer (nm) process, is designed to drive artificial intelligence transformation by enabling faster computing and greater power
RSS