Former deputy minister of national defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) yesterday filed a defamation suit against Pei Wei (裴偉), editor-in-chief of the Chinese-language Next Magazine and two others people after the magazine accused Tsai of selling military promotions.
The magazine ran a story accusing Tsai of taking bribes in exchange for promoting 10 lieutenant generals and major generals last year.
key player
The magazine singled him out as the key player in a recent string of corruption allegations involving the ministry.
Prosecutors have listed Tsai and several senior military officials accused of buying their positions as suspects in the case.
Tsai said he had been wrongly accused and denied selling military positions.
FALSE
“The Next Magazine report is completely false,” he said. “When I was in office, I had never heard of any rumors of selling or buying positions. I am in favor of cracking down on or investigating alleged corruption.”
He said all the officers he promoted had been approved by the personnel department and that all personnel changes had been agreed upon by the former or current president.
Prosecutors earlier this month indicted former lieutenant general Yuan Hsiao-lung (袁肖龍) and 11 businessmen on charges of bribery and blackmail in a scandal in which several high-ranking officers were accused of securing promotions by offering bribes.SCANDAL
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) have both denied any involvement in the alleged cash-for-promotions scandal.
Next Magazine is well-known for its aggressive reporters and bold reporting style, which has embroiled it in a number of controversies.
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
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS