Two more properties reportedly owned by Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and his wife, Lee Chia-fen (李佳芬), have been discovered, further contradicting Han’s self-projected image as an “everyman,” a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker said yesterday.
Chinese-language Next Magazine yesterday reported that the couple own properties in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) and New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), saying that Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau Secretary-General Kao Mei-lan (高美蘭) was allegedly involved in their acquisition.
Kao, who on Monday left the nation on vacation, should “not escape responsibility,” DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成) said.
Photo: Chen Wen-chan, Taipei Times
As Kao left on the day of a scheduled question-and-answer session at the Kaohsiung City Council, her departure was “very obviously her way of skirting responsibility,” Kang added.
DPP Legislator Liu Shyh-Fang (劉世芳) said that Han, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, has been “flipping properties while pretending to be an ‘everyday person’ to win votes.”
Liu called for an investigation into the legality of Han’s property transactions.
Han’s purchases of the properties in Neihu and Banciao, as well as one in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) reported by local media on Wednesday last week, were all “connected to Kao,” Next Magazine said.
Liu said that Han’s attempts to turn the Jan. 11 presidential election into a personality contest have made the public uncomfortable and he should explain his campaign tactics, as well as the property deals, or face public scrutiny.
Han’s attempts to portray himself as an “everyman” and the property deals began before he ran for mayor last year, she said.
Kao should immediately face questioning on her involvement in the purchase of the properties, as prosecutors would investigate the issue anyway, Liu said.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office has already launched an investigation into the possibility that Han used his political connections to demand a NT$14 million (US$458,971 at the current exchange rate) loan from partially state-owned Taiwan Fertilizer Co to purchase the Nangang property in 2011, she said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS