The Taipei District Court yesterday began hearings in a case involving former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) daughter, Lien Hui-hsin (連惠心), who allegedly publicly insulted a Next Magazine reporter in 2013.
Lien Hui-hsin was indicted for insulting the reporter, surnamed Lee (李), by calling her a “psycho” when Lee attempted to ask Lien Hui-hsin a question about her involvement with a nutritional supplement company whose weight-loss pills were found to contain unauthorized drugs.
Lien Hui-hsin said that the case was a “misunderstanding” and alleged that Next Magazine, in an attempt to force her to settle out of court, had sent her a letter of attestation she felt was threatening.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Lien Hui-hsin appeared at the prosecutors’ office in October 2013 as part of an investigation into the Wellslim pills case and was intercepted by Lee as she was visiting the restroom during a break in the questioning.
Lee asked a question about materials printed in the magazine, but Lien allegedly muttered to herself: “What are you talking about?” and “Psycho” before walking back into the room, the office said.
Lien Hui-hsin yesterday told the court that the incident was all a misunderstanding, that she did not know Lee and had not even seen her that night.
Even if she said the word “psycho,” it was in reference to the case during a discussion with her lawyer, and not aimed at Lee personally, Lien Hui-hsin said.
Lien Hui-hsin said Next Magazine had sent letters of attestation for trumped-up charges, saying that if the Lien family did not settle out of court they would “take action” against her then-six-month-old nephew.
Lien Hui-hsin’s lawyer said that the magazine’s offer for an out-of-court settlement was NT$500,000 in reparations, as well the invalidating of an 2006 agreement — in which the magazine agreed to confirm facts with the Liens before reporting anything regarding the family.
Two reporters, surnamed Lu (呂) and Lai (賴), testified in court, but the court considered the claims tainted as both are employees of the Next Media group.
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
TO BE APPEALED: The environment ministry said coal reduction goals had to be reached within two months, which was against the principle of legitimate expectation The Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau in its administrative litigation against the Ministry of Environment for the rescission of a NT$18 million fine (US$609,570) imposed by the bureau on the Taichung Power Plant in 2019 for alleged excess coal power generation. The bureau in November 2019 revised what it said was a “slip of the pen” in the text of the operating permit granted to the plant — which is run by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) — in October 2017. The permit originally read: “reduce coal use by 40 percent from Jan.
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
‘SPEY’ REACTION: Beijing said its Eastern Theater Command ‘organized troops to monitor and guard the entire process’ of a Taiwan Strait transit China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early yesterday, 61 of which crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. It was not clear why so many planes were scrambled, said the Ministry of National Defense, which tabulated the flights. The aircraft were sent in two separate tranches, the ministry said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday “confirmed and welcomed” a transit by the British Royal Navy’s HMS Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier. The ship’s transit “once again [reaffirmed the Strait’s] status as international waters,” the foreign ministry said. “Such transits by