The Control Yuan yesterday officially impeached nine officials for dereliction of duty over the March 19 assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian (
Among those impeached were former National Security Bureau (NSB) chief Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明), former deputy chief of the NSB special service center Chiu Chung-nan (邱忠男), the president's former chief aide-de-camp Lieutenant General Chen Tsa-fu (陳再福) and deputy chief of the General Shen Tsai-tien (沈再添).
Chen and Lu were travelling in an open motorcade in Tainan City canvassing for votes, one day before the presidential election when they were shot at twice, both sustaining minor injuries.
The Control Yuan decided that security personnel on duty that day were negligent and Control Yuan members criticized the impeached officials severely yesterday.
"The security of the president and vice president directly influences national and social security, and the security measures to protect the two leaders should be of the highest caliber," said Control Yuan member Chen Chin-li (陳進利), who is in charge of the investigation of the case.
"But under Tsai's leadership, the security mission completely failed; this damaged the country's image and impaired social order. Tsai should be responsible for poor leadership and supervision," Chen Chin-li said.
He added that when the president and vice president were out on the streets to greet the public, Chen Tsa-fu and Shen failed to ask the two leaders to put on bullet-proof jackets, and they also broke rules regarding the motorcade formation, which resulted in the security personnel's failure in guarding the president.
The Control Yuan's impeachment of Chen Tsa-fu and Shen comes as another blow to the Presidential Office's decision in early June to reward them after they were removed from their posts, although Chen Chin-li was reluctant to comment on whether the rewards were appropriate.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not