Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) told a press conference yesterday that he had spoken with Chang Wei-chin (張瑋津), the estranged wife of former ICRT DJ Charles Mack — better known by his nickname “Chocolate” — and Prosecutor Wu Wen-chung (吳文忠) about an alleged DVD recording of Chang’s husband and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) having intimate relations before last year’s presidential election.
Ker said news of the alleged DVD first came to light before last year’s presidential election, but only Ma and Chang could prove its existence.
He said the prosecutor, Ma and Chang should explain the matter to the public.
When he talked to Chang and Wu Wen-chung about the allegations, Ker said Wu Wen-chung told him that “actually, there are prosecutors of the same inclination.”
Wu told him he had seen the DVD and that it was real, the legislator said.
Ker said Chang did not go public with the alleged recording, preventing former DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) from taking advantage of it during the campaign.
Ker said, however, that he hoped Ma, Chang and Wu would tell the truth about the matter.
Ker’s comments came a day after former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) alleged in court that Wu Wen-chung had prevented a scandal involving the alleged DVD.
Mack, who is a US citizen, was repatriated on Feb. 6, 2004, after law enforcement officers accused him of having intimate relations after being diagnosed with syphilis without telling his partners.
Mack was married to Chang, who said she was a friend of the former president and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍).
Chen said Chang had a DVD of Mack and Ma having intimate relations and intended to use the DVD to ruin Ma’s presidential prospects last year.
Wu Wen-chung used his position as a prosecutor to stop her, Chen said.
Asked about the allegation by TV reporters yesterday, Chang said: “Go and ask Ma Ying-jeou, or ask [former Taipei deputy mayor] King Pu-tsung (金溥聰).”
She said that Mack was still her husband as she has yet to file divorce papers.
Meanwhile, several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday criticized the former president.
KMT Legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) accused Chen of fabricating the allegations, saying that the former president was jealous because “Ma is more popular and handsome” than Chen.
KMT Legislator Chen Chieh (陳杰) told reporters that Chen Shui-bian did not have the courage to shoulder responsibility for his own behavior.
Chen Chieh also expressed support for the Taipei Detention House’s decision to limit the former president’s exercise time and the number of visitors allowed to see him if he went on hunger strike again.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult