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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS