Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) filed an appeal with the High Court yesterday after a district court cleared the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of libel for allegedly labeling him a supporter of China.
"The judge made a wrong decision, and I decided to take the case to the High Court," Ma told a press conference yesterday. "I will ask for NT$1 million in compensation in order to pay my lawyers' fees."
In October 2003, the DPP made and broadcast a TV ad promoting a calling for a new constitution through the referendum process. The ad used montages of several people holding China's five-star flag with Ma holding a Republic of China (ROC) flag during a national day celebration. A close-up of Ma's face was shown as a veteran called out "Long life Hu Jintao (胡錦濤)."
Ma believed the DPP had libeled him as "red" and "China's man." He filed a lawsuit at the Taipei District Court, asking for NT$1 in symbolic compensation.
Judge Wu Ching-jen (
"The public would not make the mistake of thinking Ma was handling China's flag or calling out `Long life Hu Jintao,' therefore the DPP did not damage Ma's reputation in the ad," Wu said in her ruling.
She said the ad's content fell within the boundary of free speech.
A angry Ma yesterday criticized the judgment as flawed.
"The DPP viciously mixed different montages to paint me red in that ad, and broadcast it 240 times on TV, but the judge said it was legal. Where is justice?" he said.
However, he said he would withdraw his appeal if the DPP apologized.
Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), director of the DPP's Information and Culture Department, said yesterday that the aim of the was to highlight China's oppression of Taiwan, and there was no intent to defame Ma.
Cheng said the judge had made the right decision and the DPP hoped Ma could forget the past and face the future.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS