A man from central Taiwan yesterday placed a half-page advertisement in a local newspaper accusing former New Party lawmakers Elmer Fung (馮滬祥) and Hsieh Chi-ta (謝啟大) of having an affair.
"I heard Fung and Hsieh had sex in a hotel room, during which Fung ejaculated three minutes later," the provocative ad in the Taiwan Daily said, identifying its sponsor as Chen Ching-yi (林進益), a resident of Ta-an township, Taichung County.
Lin included his ID number and address in the ad and welcomed the pair to sue him for libel.
Lin said the ad was meant to show his disgust with a court ruling on Tuesday that spared Fung and Hsieh from any punishment for falsely accusing former first lady Tseng Wen-hui (
In spelling out its rational, the Taipei District Court said the charge was made without "actual malice" and urged both parties to bury the hatchet for the sake of ethnic harmony.
Fung and Hsieh, both born in China, built their political careers around attacking former president Lee Teng-hui (
In 2000, the pair said on separate occasions that Lee's wife had fled to New York with US$85 million in cash stuffed into 54 suitcases after the KMT lost the presidency to the DPP.
Tseng filed a slander suit against the pair after they made the statements.
The judge reasoned that as lawmakers, Fung and Hsieh had the right to call into question things they believed posed a danger to national security -- regardless of whether they could later substantiate their claims.
"It is absurd for the court to acquit the slanderers," said Lin, a teacher. "If they are not guilty, neither am I for placing this ad."
He said the ad cost NT$260,000 and admitted its content was not based on fact.
Lin said the ruling in the former first lady's case is an invitation for people to level defamatory charges and challenged his "victims" to take him to court.
For his part, Fung said he would not respond to Lin's provocation.
"I consider it a waste of my time to comment on the ad, which will only deepen ethnic divisions," Fung said.
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