Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday demanded Frank Hsieh (
The call came after Chung Shan-tun (
"Frank Hsieh has to take responsibility for the scandal, as the three people used to have close relationships with him," KMT Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) told a press conference.
Lee said Wu was appointed by Hsieh, when he was Kaohsiung mayor, as director of Kaohsiung City's Bureau of Urban Development and Chang was the chair of the New Culture Foundation, which was established by Hsieh.
Hsieh was also accused of being involved in the scandal by KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (
Chiu added that he had a document showing that it was Hsieh's idea to designate Chung and Wu as official representatives of the commission that conducted the six public bids.
Later yesterday, Hsieh denied the accusation, saying that he was not implicated in the scandal and he is happy to be investigated to prove his innocence.
Kaohsiung prosecutors yesterday declined to confirm media reports saying the investigation of the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) scandal has made a breakthrough, with Wu and Chung admitting that they accepted bribes from a construction firm working on the city's MRT.
Prosecutor Wang Chun-li (
Meanwhile, in related news, the KMT's candidate for Taipei mayor, Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) was called into question yesterday by DPP Legislator Yu Jan-daw (余政道) over an integrity issue.
Yu said Hau's father, former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村), used the illegal preferential treatment for retired premiers to pay his relatives' utility bills.
The government announced in late August that it would cancel such preferential treatment without legal basis -- including limousines, chauffeurs, free water, electricity and telephone services.
"In September 2005, Hau Pei-tsun was reimbursed NT$48,128 for his electricity from the government. We found out that this huge sum included his relatives' bills," Yu said.
Yu demanded Hau Lung-bin should return all the illicit money his father had received from the government for about 13 years.
Hau Lung-bin refuted the charge and said that he would file a lawsuit to seek retribution.
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
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
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard