Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) deputy legislative caucus whip Wang Shu-hui (
Conflict arose earlier this week between Kaohsiung Country Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (
Yang claimed that Fan's husband, Chang Fu-chung (
Yang said he had received a phone call from Fan saying that the ministry would provide NT$1 million (US$30,000) in subsidies for the construction of the building if the ministry was allowed to appoint the architects.
Yang said that he had agreed to receive subsidies from the ministry but as a result, the finished building was ugly and unsatisfactory.
The principal, students and teachers at the school also thought that the building was ugly and spoiled the scenery, Yang added.
Fan held a press conference on Friday denying Yang's allegations, and insisting that she and her husband had never interfered in the process of selecting an architect for the building.
Wang said that Yang and Fan are both exceptional talents in the DPP and that she was sure they would communicate.
Premier Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh added that similar accusations had been leveled in the past against Fan and her husband, but that investigations had not uncovered any illegal activities.
In order to assure the neutrality of the investigation process, Hsieh said the ethics office would head the process instead of letting the ministry conduct its own probe.
Meanwhile, the ministry said that the architect for the new school building was selected using a fair process.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
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