PFP Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) and restaurant proprietor Cheng Ko-jung (鄭可榮) apologized to the Department of Health's (DOH) acting head Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) yesterday for falsely accusing him of sexual harassment.
Lee and Cheng held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday to announce they had identified the wrong person.
The two had earlier accused Twu of kissing Cheng and licking his ears against his will at a KTV parlor Aug. 6.
PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Lee said that while she and Cheng were watching news coverage of DOH's Personnel Department Chief Tu Hau-lin's (
Tu was summoned by Taipei Chief Prosecutor Chuang Cheng (莊正) after witnesses testified he was present at the KTV parlor where Cheng was allegedly harassed.
Cheng then told Lee that it was Tu, not Twu, who harassed him. Tu has since denied the allegation.
Lee and Cheng bowed to Twu during the press conference, which was broadcast live on television.
"We are really sorry and would like to apologize to acting minister Twu. We didn't do this on purpose. We hope he can understand," Lee said with tears in her eyes.
Cheng also apologized to Twu and sought to explain his mistake.
"I didn't know the person who harassed me at all. It was dark at the KTV parlor so I could hardly recognize the person's face. My friend Ding Juei-feng (丁瑞豐) simply told me that this `Mr. Twu/Tu' who harassed me was the man who is about to be promoted as the head of the DOH when I called him to complain about the [incident]. I didn't know whether it was `Twu' or `Tu,'" he said.
"However, when I saw Tu on TV and heard his voice, I knew that I had misidentified Twu. I'm sorry."
It was Ding who had invited Cheng to the KTV party.
After the press conference, Lee and Cheng went to Twu's office to apologize to him in person. But the two left about 10 minutes later after Twu refused to open his door.
Twu's lawyer, Tsai Mao-sung (蔡茂松), responded at a separate press conference yesterday.
He said that Twu still plans to sue Lee, Cheng and Ding for defamation and that he will ask for NT$50 million in compensation.
"It would not proper for the plaintiff and defendants to meet outside the courtroom since the case is now in the middle of judicial process. So I told Twu not to open his door," Tsai said.
Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Lee Ming-hsien (
"Twu said that he would resign if Cheng's accusations were proved. Well, I think Lee should do the same thing in return," he said.
Another DPP lawmaker, Trong Chai (
"For Twu, this case almost terminated his political career. I don't think that a lawmaker has a right to terminate other people's careers," Chai said.
"I suggest we get the legislature's Discipline Committee involved and allow the committee to come up with a proper punishment for Lee."
Meanwhile, the Association of Taiwan Journalists (
"It's not right for the media to decide who the guilty guy is without any evidence before the person is convicted. It's actually endangering the media industry," the press release said.
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to make advanced 3-nanometer chips in Japan, stepping up its semiconductor manufacturing roadmap in the country in a triumph for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s technology ambitions. TSMC is to adopt cutting-edge technology for its second wafer fab in Kumamoto, company chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. That is an upgrade from an original blueprint to produce 7-nanometer chips by late next year, people familiar with the matter said. TSMC began mass production at its first plant in Japan’s Kumamoto in late 2024. Its second fab, which is still under construction, was originally focused on
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
RESTRAINTS: Should China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, China would be excluded from major financial institutions, the bill says The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which states that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude Beijing from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared
RSS