The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday called on the Executive Yuan to establish an ad hoc panel to investigate whether it was false news or rather accusations by Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan officials that drove former director-general of the office’s Osaka branch Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠) to suicide.
Since Su died at his residence on Sept. 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not shown any interest in investigating the incident, ascribing Su’s death to false news about the Chinese consulate in Osaka sending shuttle buses to pick up Taiwanese stranded at Kansai International Airport during Typhoon Jebi on the condition that they identified as Chinese, KMT caucus secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The KMT caucus condemns the ministry’s passive attitude and demands that the Executive Yuan conduct a three-month investigation into the incident by assembling a panel of members from objective third parties so that Su’s reputation can be cleared and he can rest in peace, Tseng said.
Photo: Huang Hsin-po, Taipei Times
KMT Legislator Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲) said the legislature should establish a review panel to find out whether the ministry had shielded anyone and whether Su had died a wrongful death.
Lu said that the ministry had told her that Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Secretary-General Chang Shu-ling (張淑玲) telephoned Su on its behalf a day before his death, during which she allegedly scolded Su for 20 minutes.
Chang yesterday denied making such a call.
The ministry should clear up the confusion, Lu said.
Citing a statement that Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) issued on Friday in response to accusations by Su’s widow that “anticipated humiliation,” not false news, drove him to take his own life, KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) criticized Hsieh for confronting Su’s family with a report by Japanese public broadcaster NHK that partly attributed Su’s suicide to him “being overwhelmed by public criticism.”
The move shows that Hsieh is still trying to shirk responsibility by blaming Su’s death on false news, Lee said.
She called on Hsieh to return to Taipei for a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow to give a clear account of the events.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS