The war of words between two Taipei mayoral candidates continued yesterday as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate shrugged off the threat of a lawsuit filed against him by his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) opponent.
DPP candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) had claimed that, as a former premier, Hau Lung-bin's (郝龍斌) father Hau Pei-tsun's (郝柏村) utility bills have been paid by the government and that both Haus had made use of a state-owned residence at 315 Fulin Road.
Dismissing Hsieh's accusations by showing receipts for water and electricity bills on Tuesday, Hau Lung-bin yesterday filed a lawsuit against Hsieh for slander, while urging the former premier to explain his involvement in irregularities in connection with the construction of the Kaohsiung mass rapid transit (MRT) system.
"Frank Hsieh's smear campaign cannot hide his involvement in the Kaohsiung MRT scandal ... He should spend more time explaining that," Hau Lung-bin said yesterday while seeking grassroots support at a traditional market.
Hsieh yesterday refused to offer an apology over the utility bill accusations against Hau.
Hsieh claimed Hau Lung-bin had his permanent residence registered under his father's residence until last year, while DPP Legislators Hsu Kuo-yun (徐國勇) and Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) alleged that Hau Lung-bin's sister's residence was an illegal construction.
Hau Lung-bin said it was well known that he had been living at 317 Fulin Road for years, rather than living with his father at 315 Fulin Road, and urged Hsieh not to harass his family with smear tactics.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that city regulations state any non-permitted buildings erected before 1994 would not be demolished unless they hinder public safety, transportation systems, sanitation and the city landscape.
"The regulations were set when President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) served as Taipei mayor," Ma said yesterday when asked by the press for comment.
Hau said he would file further lawsuits in response to any new accusations from Hsieh and would not offer a response to the accusations regarding his utility bills.
In response to Hau Lung-bin's decision to file a lawsuit against him, Hsieh insisted that his accusations were correct.
"He should be the one to apologize, and he should return the money to the taxpayers. It's not the responsibility of the people to pay his utility bills for him," Hsieh said. "Go ahead and sue me ? If he sues me, I will be the defendant, and can therefore request information about him."
Meanwhile, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) candidate Clara Chou (周玉蔻) yesterday lashed out at Hsieh for attempting to dissuade her from joining the election by offering her three incentives through a third party.
The three incentives, according to Chou, included offering her any position in the government if Hsieh is elected, assisting her to run in the next legislative election and campaigning for TSU city councilor candidates if she withdrew from the election.
"He insulted me beyond belief with these incentives," she said.
To show her determination to run in the election, Chou said she registered her candidacy on Oct. 17 instead of Oct. 19.
She further accused Hsieh of being involved in the Kaohsiung MRT scandal, and claimed that he should not serve as Taipei mayor.
Hsieh denied the allegations.
Later in the afternoon, however, she echoed Hsieh's accusations against Hau Lung-bin by showing up at the KMT headquarters.
Chou urged Ma, who also serves as the KMT chairman, to show his determination to fight corruption and resolve the issue of the party's stolen assets.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
RSS