The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday echoed Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) proposal to reinstate the Special Investigation Division (SID), saying that the agency should probe what it called the “top 10 questionable cases” allegedly involving Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members.
Before it was abolished in January 2017, the division was an agency under the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office tasked with probing graft by high-ranking officials, including the president and lawmakers.
Han, the KMT’s candidate in the Jan. 11 election, claimed at the first televised presidential candidate policy platform presentation on Wednesday last week that a number of DPP officials are corrupt and that re-establishing the division is necessary to probe their crimes.
KMT Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), KMT New Taipei City Councilor Tang Hui-lin (唐慧琳) and KMT legislator-at-large nominee Wu Yi-ting (吳怡玎) yesterday voiced their support for Han’s proposal at a news conference at KMT headquarters in Taipei.
Following Han’s proposal, the KMT has received information about the “top 10 questionable cases” allegedly involving DPP members, said Lu Ching-wei (呂磬煒), editor of the KMT’s online media section.
One case questions whether former Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who is now secretary-general of the Presidential Office, and other DPP members should be held accountable for the city’s NT$300 billion (US$9.9 billion) of debt, the KMT members said.
Other cases include establishing who was behind Kaohsiung-based Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co (慶富造船) defrauding the navy in a minesweeper project, identifying the intended recipient of NT$3 million in cash that DPP Legislator Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) lost aboard a high-speed train in September, discerning who helped spread rumors about the case of self-confessed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強) and examining an up to NT$2 trillion offshore windfarm construction program, they said.
Other items include finding out who approved a bank loan for Far Eastern Air Transport (遠東航空), which earlier this month suddenly halted operations; probing alleged use of more than NT$800 billion of Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program funding for pork-barreling; investigating how government-led Taiwania Capital Management Corp (台杉投資) used funds; and identifying the person responsible for ordering Yang Hui-ju (楊蕙如) to spread misinformation online that allegedly led to the suicide last year of Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠), then-director-general of the Osaka branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Japan, they added.
They also announced a NT$1 million reward for locating Yang.
People are welcome to post video or images on the KMT’s Facebook page that would help identify her whereabouts, Wang said, adding that Yang could claim the reward herself if she comes forward to face justice.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS