The president's son-in-law Chao Chien-ming's (
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (
The KMT caucus yesterday called on prosecutors and the investigation bureau to clear up the matter as soon as possible.
"The donation is never a papal ticket. The Chao family might have committed a type of financial crime," KMT Legislator Joanna Lei (
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (
Meanwhile, Chiu yesterday accused Chao of more misconduct.
Chiu said Chao Chien-hsun (
"Chao Chien-ming's brother works in the Chi Mei Medical Center, and he hawked TDC shares to his colleagues there," Chiu said.
Chiu said Chang Po-Shin (
Chang was worried he might be asked to step down as chairman after Chang Hwa Bank was merged into Taishin Financial Holdings, Chiu said.
"But one day after the [Chao family's] shares deal was completed, Chang got a promise from Thomas Wu [吳東亮], chairman of Taishin Financial Holdings, that he would be able to keep his post. What a coincidence," Chiu said.
Responding to a series of corruption cases involving government officials and members of the first family, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized both the president and the government, saying they were incompetent and becoming corrupt "at a speed exceeding everyone's imagination."
"You have besmirched Taiwan's dignity," Ma said of the president yesterday during the party's central standing committee.
"The global competitiveness report for this year moved Taiwan from 11th place to 18th. Taiwan was surpassed by Korea last year, and could be exceeded by China soon," he said.
In response to the committee's discussion on ways to prevent more corruption cases, Ma asked the party caucus to make laws to fight corruption.
"The Democratic Progressive Party pledged to establish a clean and efficient government, but the real situation runs counter to their vows ... As the opposition party, we need to take responsibility to prevent further corruption in the government," he said.
KMT Legislator Wu suggested that Ma lead a national anti-corruption movement.
Ma told the party's policy committee and think tank to research the issues and pledged to be more active in preventing the government from becoming more corrupt.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai