Tue, Feb 10, 2004 page1

• Lien cronies are fugitives

  CRIMINAL FRATERNITY? The Criminal Investigation Bureau has identified key KMT campaign organizers abroad as criminals who are still wanted in Taiwan

  • By Lin Chieh-yu / STAFF REPORTER
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  The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said the pan-blue camp is supported not only by Beijing, but also by Taiwanese fugitives in China, who have been assisting the pan-blues in mobilizing Taiwanese businesspeople in China to vote for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Lien Chan (連戰).

  "Since last year, the pan-blue camp has carried out numerous campaign activities in China, all in violation of Chinese law. However, not only did the Chinese government fail to put a stop to these activities, instead it allowed and even supported their activities," said DPP campaign headquarters spokesman Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁).

  For example, Wu said, the Chinese government, has completely ignored a Lien-Soong district campaign headquarters operating under the name of a Taiwanese trade service institute in Shanghai opertaing since Feb. 7.

  Wu said that, according to some Taiwanese businesspeople in China, during the past six months the Lien-Soong camp has sent key figures, including KMT Legislator John Chang (章孝嚴), KMT Mainland Affairs department head Chang Rong-kung (張榮恭) and KMT policy committee senior member Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉), to launch those campaign events in China.

  According to Wu, the Lien-Soong headquarters has held campaign activities, including a fundraising event on Jan. 8 which collected NT$27 million, a reception for businessmen on Jan. 11, sending letters inviting Taiwanese businessmen associations to attend a Lien-Soong campaign activity on Jan. 17, and the opening ceremony for the Lien-Soong Shanghai headquarters on Feb 7.

  "All those events violated the Chinese government's regulations, which were published on April 20 last year, but the Chinese government issued no citations and even encouraged Taiwanese business-people to participate," Wu said.

  "Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that there is a secret deal between the pan-blue camp and the regime in Beijing," Wu said.

  He also said that the DPP is concerned about two aspects of this development. One is whether the secret deal had sacrificed Taiwanese national interestd, and the other is that the businesspeople involved in the event may be blackmailed into acting as China's agents provocateur.

  "If China decides to reveal its two-faced countenance, Taiwanese businesspeople could be imprisoned at any moment," he said.

  Meanwhile, the DPP legislative caucus also claimed that some leaders of the Lien-Soong campaign in China were actually Taiwanese white-collar criminals, among them several who are still fugitives from justice.

  "Chang Yang (張揚), whose real name is Chang Yi-song (張益松), is now serving as the chairman of a Taiwanese business association in Shenyang and he is also in charge of organizing campaign activities for the pan-blues in northern China," said Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), DPP legislative caucus leader.

  "Yet Chang is a fugitive who has been sentenced for committing fraud, forgery and breaking banking laws in Taiwan," said Tsai.

  Tsai displayed a recent photo taken in China showing Chang standing beside Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪), a former minister of justice and now the deputy head of a Lien-Soong supporters' association.

  "We asked the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the National Police Administration to verify Chang's identification. The result is that Chang has been identified as a fugitive criminal, who is still attempting to defraud Taiwanese businesspeople."

  But in an interview with local media, Chang said that he had not received a summons, and therefore was not a fugitive. He did not say when he would return to Taiwan, and said that he was the real victim.

  Tsai questioned why fugitive criminals including Chang Yang, former Tuntex Group chairman Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪), former Central Broadcasting System president Gloria Chu (朱婉清), and former Legislator Wu Tzer-yuan (伍澤元), are all KMT members and are now campaigning for the pan-blue ticket.

  "The public wants to know whether Lien Chan has promised to pardon those fugitives in return for their campaign efforts," Tsai said.

  "Why has Lien not asked those KMT members, who are now campaigning for him overseas, to return to Taiwan?"
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