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Soong sues Chen for defamation

Li Fu-dien, center, an attorney for People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong and PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-ping, right, arrive at Taipei District Court to file a lawsuit against President Chen Shui-bian for defamation of Soong. The PFP leader is demanding a public apology and token damages of NT$1. PHOTO:CNA

People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) filed suit against President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday, demanding restitution for defaming him with accusations that he had met with a Chinese official in the US earlier this year.

"We are asking Chen Shui-bian to clear the defamation and distortion of the truth done to [Soong] in a press conference and to apologize," said Soong's lawyer Li Ful-dien (李復甸) yesterday.

Going through Li and PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-pin (謝公秉), Soong filed a civil suit against Chen for defamation.

TOKEN COMPENSATION

The PFP leader is asking for just NT$1 in damages in addition to requiring Chen to run half-page ads in major papers with an apology.

In a TV interview May 8, Chen said that he had received information that Soong met with Taiwan Affairs Office director Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) in the US earlier this year.

While Chen has not said since where his information came from, the National Security Bureau has said it didn't give him the data.

"President Chen's information fell from the sky. Even all the intelligence chiefs have said that [the meeting did not happen], but President Chen has not apologized or given an explanation," Hsieh said yesterday.

PFP STATEMENT

In a written statement released by the PFP yesterday, the PFP denied that Soong had ever met with Chen Yunlin while he was on a month-long visit to the US earlier this year.

"If Mr. Chen Shui-bian does not even have the ability to evaluate his information, then does he have the ability to facilitate national policy?" the statement said.

"As the nation's leader, for him to willfully defame opposition leaders not only deeply harms his [Soong's] character, but also harms the integrity and sincerity of the president," the statement said.

According to the statement, outraged at the Presidential Office's subsequent silence on the issue, Soong had no choice but to pursue legal action in the interest of revealing the truth.

While the PFP and Soong have repeatedly demanded an apology from Chen for the remarks, the party had refrained from taking legal action until now out of courtesy to Chen, the statement said.

The Presidential Office had no comment on the lawsuit, saying only that it does not believe that the atmosphere of reconciliation between the ruling and opposition camps has been destroyed.
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