High-ranking Taiwanese military officials were paid an estimated US$20 million in commissions to endorse the controversial French frigate deal in 1991, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker said yesterday.
DPP Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (
Hsu said that former premier Hau Pei-tsun (
Between Sept. 2 and Sept. 17, 1989, six high-ranking military officials, including Kuo Li-heng, former vice admiral Lei Hsueh-ming (雷學明), former captain Kang Shih-chun (康世淳) and former commander Cheng Chih-po (程志波), proposed a change of plans after a trip to France, Hsu said.
The defense ministry accepted a proposal on Oct. 5, 1989, to purchase Lafayette-class frigates from France on the recommendation of Kuo Li-heng, Lei, Kang, Cheng, former vice admiral Yao Neng-chun (姚能君), former rear admiral Wang Chin-sheng (王琴生) and former captain Hsuan Peng-lai (宣蓬萊).
Hsu said yesterday that navy captain Yin Ching-feng (
Hsu said that Andrew Wang (汪傳浦), an agent for Thomson-CSF, the French company that sold the frigates to Taiwan, filed a defamation suit on Aug. 17, 2001, against Hsieh Tsung-min (謝聰敏), then an advisor to the president, who had allegedly accused Wang of killing Yin. Because Wang had asked for NT$20 million in compensation and reportedly said he would donate the money to Yin's bereaved family if he wins the suit, Hsu argued that the NT$20 million would equal Yin's kickback.
The DPP has claimed that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) used a woman named Liu Li-li (劉莉莉) to distribute US$100 million to officials from the Chinese Communist Party and People's Liberation Army.
People First Party Legislator Lin Yu-fang (
Lin said he has personally talked with Hao, who denied that he knows Liu.
Lin called on the DPP to produce proof, as Hao is considering filing a lawsuit if the DPP fails to offer a satisfactory explanation.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
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