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Chen staff unaware of casino trip

The Presidential Office yesterday rejected an accusation by opposition lawmakers that it had been fully aware of former deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan's (陳哲男) controversial trip to South Korea in 2002.

Pan-blue lawmakers yesterday said that the Presidential Office must have been aware of Chen's trip, as he had been accompanied by an official bodyguard.

Producing a copy of what she called an official document issued by the sixth division of the National Police Agency's Security Forces under the Ministry of the Interior, People First Party (PFP) Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) said at the Legislative Yuan that Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), a member of the sixth division, had been authorized by the ministry to accompany Chen Che-nan to South Korea from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, 2002.

The document is dated Nov. 1, 2002, and contains 10 stamps and one signature indicating that the document had been read by relevant officials.

Chen Wen-tsung (陳文宗), the Director-general of the Presidential Office's Department of Public Affairs, yesterday dismissed Lee's claim during a press conference at which he also displayed a copy of the document.

"The sender is the Special Police Sixth Headquarters, and the recipient is its Second Brigade. The document was also copied to its supervision section. The Presidential Office never received this," Chen Wen-tsung said.

Although an article published in a local magazine yesterday claimed that another copy of the document had to be sent to the Presidential Office in accordance with administrative regulations, Chen Wen-tsung denied this.

"Police officers escorting either the secretary-general or deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office file reports only to the National Police Agency. I admit that our personnel department has difficulties in tracking all of these police officers' activities. We will discuss possible improvements in the near future," Chen Wen-tsung said.

Lee said that Chen Che-nan had been photographed gambling at a casino on Cheju Island, along with former Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) vice chairman Chen Min-hsien (陳敏賢).

While prosecutors said that there had been six people on the trip, Lee said yesterday that there had been at least eight people, including Chen Chih-ming and an alleged gangster.

Lee said that, according to people who were at the airport at the time, Chen Che-nan was sporting a baseball cap bearing the Chinese characters for "Presidential Office," and that his party reportedly received the preferential treatment usually given to government officials or diplomats by airport customs officials.

Lee argued that the Presidential Office must have known of Chen's overseas trip and notified the airport authorities to grant Chen the special treatment.

The deputy chief of the sixth division, Huang Ron-ching (黃榮清), said that his division knew nothing about the trip's purpose, and has not yet questioned Chen Chih-ming about the matter because he has been ill and is about to undergo surgery to treat sinusitis.

Hu Ya-ping (胡亞屏), deputy commissioner of the Aviation Police Bureau, said that he does not recall whether Chen Che-nan's group went through the special customs gate, nor does he remember exactly how many people accompanied him.

Hu said that it would not be possible to provide any documentation confirming whether or not the Presidential Office had issued a letter requesting special treatment for Chen Che-nan and his party, because they do not keep such documents for more than one year.

However, Lee asked the bureau to provide an electronic record. She also requested the bureau to arrange a brief meeting with Chen Chih-ming if his health permits.

PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said that it was impossible for a high-ranking government official like Chen Che-nan to be allowed to conduct an overseas trip if the Presidential Office does not give its permission.

But Ho Jung-tsun (何榮村), chief secretary of the Immigration Office under the National Police Agency said that, since May 2000, civil servants no longer need to notify their supervisor of an overseas trip, except for those wishing to visit China.

Deputy Director-General of the National Police Agency Hung Sheng-kun yesterday confirmed that Chen Chih-ming had accompanied Chen Che-nan to Cheju Island.

Hung said that the special police follow and protect the officials they guard, but have no right to ask about the purpose of the officials' activities.

Additional reporting by Rich Chang
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