Talk show host calls Chen

Talk show host Chou Yu-kou (周玉寇) claimed in her TV program yesterday that Lee Tao (李濤), talk show host of the TVBS show 2100 Quan Min Kai Jiang [Speaking Your Mind at 2100] had placed a call to the Presidential Office asking President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to spare his station from the ongoing political furor.

The TVBS controversy began after Lee made public a photo that appeared to prove former presidential adviser Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) -- already imbroiled in a controversy involving Kaohsiung's MRT project -- had lied about a trip to South Korea.

"Lee made two phone calls, one to the vice president and another to the premier [Frank Hsieh (謝長廷)] asking them to relay a message to President Chen to have mercy on him," Chou said in her program.

Saying she knows Lee all too well, Chou said that Lee is actually a "coward" who just pretends to be a hero, and is trying to leave the public with the impression that he [Lee] is willing to rebel against authority at all costs in an attempt to defend press freedom.

Asked to respond, Lee was quoted as saying "treat [what she said] as a mere joke."

However, a statement released by Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) office last night confirmed that Lee had placed a call to her. However, it added that the phone conversation involved nothing about Lee asking a favor from her.

According to the statement, Lu received a call from Lee on Tuesday afternoon after the president announced that he would not have any TV stations shut down during his presidency.

Additional reporting by Chiu Yu-tzu