President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday dismissed speculation over the existence of a DVD alleged to show Ma and former ICRT DJ Charles Mack having intimate relations, saying the media should disregard groundless rumors.
“It’s incredible that media outlets allow themselves to be hoodwinked by such a ridiculous story. It’s a groundless rumor and there’s nothing to it,” Ma said yesterday during an interview with Era TV.
Ma made the remarks in response to an accusation in court on Monday by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) that Special Investigation Panel Prosecutor Wu Wen-chung (吳文忠) had prevented a scandal during last year’s presidential election by suppressing the DVD.
Chen said the DVD belonged to Mack’s wife, Chang Wei-chin (張瑋津), who said she was a good friend of Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍). Chen said Chang had intended to use the DVD to ruin Ma’s presidential prospects last year, but the prosecutor prevented her from publicizing it.
Ma said he and his campaign team had heard the rumor at the time, adding that “we thought it was a stupid rumor.”
“Such a rumor would lower the tone of the presidential campaign ... and I feel very sorry that it has been brought up again one year after the election,” he said.
At a separate setting yesterday, Ma’s sexual orientation was a central topic on the legislature’s “state affairs forum,” during which Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) called on Ma to come out of the closet if he is indeed gay.
When asked by reporters for comment on Thursday, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Ma’s opponent in last year’s presidential election, refused to say anything to safeguard the president’s dignity.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS