DPP could sue over `Bulletgate'

With regards to recent distribution of "Bulletgate," a pan-blue pamphlet promulgating various theories surrounding the assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said that it would be sure to inform the international community that the lawsuits contending the election's outcome have yet to be concluded.

During a procedural press conference yesterday, Maysing Yang (楊黃美幸), the chairwoman of MOFA's Research and Planning Committee, also said that the ministry would be sure to make the details of the lawsuit available to the international community.

"For example, it is at least 99.9 percent certain that the presidential election lawsuit will not be overturned based on the results of the ballot recount," Yang said yesterday.

The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) legislative caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said on Monday that the caucus has advised the DPP to sue the pan-blue alliance for distributing the English-language pamphlet.

"By distributing the pamphlet in the US, the pan-blue camp is carrying a domestic dispute to foreign shores," Tsai said.

"Besides, the alliance is spending big money on making false allegations. This method of airing their grievance to foreigners is a disgrace. Therefore, we [the caucus] suggest that the DPP seek legal measures against the KMT, domestically and internationlly," Tsai added.

According to Tsai, the "Bulletgate" pamphlet contains fabricated descriptions of the shooting of Chen on March 19, as well as false allegations regarding the presidential election. The pamphlet has reportedly been distributed to several US congresspeople.

"For instance, in the pamphlet, it is stated that forensic expert Henry Lee (李昌鈺) said specifically that `the shooting had not been dismissed as a potential political assassination.' Lee never said anything like that," Tsai said.

Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said he was disappointed by the pan-blue camp.

"It is not the first time that the pan-blue camp has aired its grievance in other countries," Chen said.

"I find it disappointing as every political party should protect the image of its own country in the presence of outsiders," Chen added.

A high-ranking official with the National Security Bureau was quoted by the Chinese-language Liberty Times newspaper as saying that the US is a democracy, and should not misunderstand Taiwan because of the allegations made in the pamphlet.

The official also expressed his disappointment with the pan-blue alliance's move, as it is a sign that the opposition parties are still living in the shadow of the past.

additional reporting by Cody Yiu

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