The Taipei District Court yesterday handed former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a victory in his defamation lawsuit against veteran media personality Wu Tzu-chia (吳子嘉), vice chairman of my-formosa.com (美麗島電子報), who alleged that Ma and his campaign team received a NT$1 billion (US$30.98 million) off-the-books donation from Ting Hsin International Group.
Saying Wu failed to provide evidence to support his allegations, the court ordered him to pay Ma NT$1.8 million in damages and to issue a public apology statement in the nation’s major newspapers.
It was the first ruling on the case, and the decision can be appealed.
The compensation was far lower than the NT$3 million in punitive damages asked.
The case stems from a news article that Wu wrote for the online media outlet in November 2014, in which he wrote that Ting Hsin group’s Wei brothers had given NT$10 billion in off-the books political donations to Ma and his campaign team in the run-up to the 2012 presidential election.
“The Wei brothers made a donation of about NT$10 billion to help finance Ma’s campaign,” Wu wrote, adding that with the “donation,” Ma, as the president, would act as the “guardian and protector” of Ting Hsin’s business interests.
Wu wrote the story during the rising tide of public anger and resentment against the conglomerate, in the aftermath of the tainted cooking oil scandals of 2013 and 2014 involving Ting Hsin subsidiaries.
Ma and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded an apology and retraction of the allegations, and sued Wu for defamation when he refused.
The KMT later withdrew from the litigation, since Wu did not specifically refer to the party receiving illicit donations, but Ma remained a plaintiff in the case.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
SHIFT: Taiwan is evolving from a transit stop into a tourist destination, with more international travelers willing to spend on tours, dining and cultural activities Taiwan rose three places in the World Tourism Barometer to 36th globally in 2024, with international tourism revenue of US$10.028 billion, the Tourism Administration said on Monday. The UN Tourism Organization publication said that its focus has switched from whether a country has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels of tourism to the amount spent by a tourist during an overseas trip. The nation last year welcomed 8.57 million international tourists, about 9 percent more than in 2024, with most tourists coming from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau, all of which accounted for at least 1 million tourists each. During the first
RSS