The Presidential Office yesterday said that two foreign newspapers that reported President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had admitted lying to prosecutors about the alleged misuse of the "state affairs fund" might have misinterpreted his words.
"The President did not lie to prosecutors," said Presidential Office Spokesman David Lee (
Lee made the remarks in response to reports published recently in both the New York Times and the Sydney Morning Herald.
With a headline that read "Taiwan's Leader Admits Lies, but Says He Won't Step Down" dated Nov. 6, the New York Times said Chen admitted on Sunday that he "submitted false receipts for reimbursement from public funds and lied to prosecutors about how he spent the money, but said he had done so in the interest of national security."
The Sydney Morning Herald, in an article dated Nov. 7, also reported that Chen "admitted lying and submitting false receipts for reimbursement from public funds."
Lee said Chen opted to withhold the information about a secret agent, "Person A," during the prosecutor's questioning, which may have led to the misunderstanding.
Somebody might have lied about the secret diplomatic projects in the process, but that person was not Chen, Lee said.
Chen said on Sunday in a televised press conference that "somebody has lied about the secret jobs conducted by `Person A.'
"No matter whether it was a malicious lie or a white lie, I think an apology is necessary. However, if the white lie was made to protect secret diplomatic projects, can we consider it as an excusable error?" he said.
Chen said that he "was willing to apologize for making incoherent statements during the questioning but that they were made in the interest of national security."
He said that he "did not dare to say or think it was a better idea to withhold the information," but it might have caused the prosecutors to misunderstand him.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS