A group of lawmakers have thrown their support behind Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for a presidential bid in 2008, saying that Ma should run as an independent if he is indicted for his handling of the special allowance fund, which would result in suspension from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
"Ma should register as an independent presidential candidate representing the pan-blue camp if he is indicted," KMT Legislator Chu Fong-chi (
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
"If Ma ever thinks of giving up the bid [if indicted], they will do everything possible to indict him," Lai said.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng(
Lawmakers' support for Ma's election bid proved that they believed in his innocence in the midst of the investigation into his special mayoral allowance, KMT legislative caucus whip Tsai Chin-lung (
Ma said yesterday that he had done nothing wrong as far as the handling of his special allowance was concerned, and he expected the judiciary to remain impartial in the investigation of the case.
Ma also denied that he had said he would resign as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman but not withdraw from politics if he were indicted.
As to whether he may be indicted before Dec. 9, when the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections are held, Ma said he could not make any predictions.
KMT legislators have accused the government of interfering in the investigation by requiring Taiwan High Court Prosecutor-General Hsieh Wen-ting (謝文定) to decide whether to indict Ma before the election.
Ma did not comment on whether he would still run for the presidency in 2008 even if he lost his KMT membership, nor did he respond to questions about whether he would give up his KMT chairmanship as former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Ju Gau-jeng (
Ju yesterday published an open letter in several Chinese-language newspapers urging Ma to quit the chairmanship to pressure President Chen Shui-bian (
Ju said in the letter that Ma was not qualified as a political leader because he failed to "make the right decisions at critical moments," referring to the KMT's support of the three failed presidential recall motions.
Ju said that Ma should apply high moral standards to himself and resign as KMT chairman over the special allowance case to demonstrate his willingness to admit his own mistakes.
"Only when you resolutely resign the chairmanship can there be a new driving force for urging Chen to step down and a new chapter in the development of Taiwan's democracy," Ju said in the letter.
Independent Legislator Li Ao (
Meanwhile, Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office Spokesman Chang Wen-cheng (張文政) yesterday denied that the government had interfered with Taiwan High Court Prosecutor-General Hsieh Wen-ting (謝文定) or the Black Gold Investigation Center during the probe into Ma's special allowance fund.
The allegation that the government had demanded Ma's indictment before the Dec. 9 elections was groundless, he added.
He said there was no timetable for Ma's case, and that prosecutors close their investigations only when they have scrutinized all evidence relating to the case.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
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