The Presidential Office yesterday asked Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to “produce evidence” for comments he made on Saturday that the Taipei Dome project is “ruining the banner of honesty and non-corruption upheld” by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Ko yesterday said evidence would come “soon,” adding that the situation has been handed to the recently formed Taipei Clean Government Committee and would be settled within a month.
During a speech at the Ketagalan Institute on Saturday, Ko said that the Taipei Dome project has ruined Ma’s vow of integrity, with the former Taipei mayor’s municipal administration accused of lining the pockets of Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設), the firm responsible for building the facility.
Photo: CNA
Presidential Office spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday protested Ko’s “arbitrary speculation,” calling on the mayor to prove his words were accurate.
It would be Ko’s credibility that is ruined if the mayor continues to make baseless comments, Chen added.
Chen said Ko’s administration had revealed city government documents selectively, adding that Ko’s credibility has already been damaged by being vague about the “300-million-dollar-man incident” — referring to a campaign donation of NT$300 million (US$9.6 million) by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) during last year’s mayoral campaign — which Chen called on Ko to clarify or risk losing the trust of Taipei residents.
A Presidential Office source said that Ko and the committee have deliberately ignored the fact that after what they called “a secret meeting” [between Farglory and Ma when he was Taipei mayor], the city administration declared the bid failed on Sept. 5, 2005, revoking the collaboration with the company and reopening the bid.
Farglory would never have been put in charge of the construction if the Executive Yuan’s Public Construction Commission during the time the Democratic Progressive Party was in office had not requested that the city government revoke its decision to invalidate the bid, the source said, adding that Farglory had lodged three protests over the matter.
The source said that if the then-Taipei City administration really had “a clandestine agreement” with Farglory, why would have it called for the revocation of the contract signed with the company?
Suspicion that Ma lined the company’s pockets contradicts not only the facts, but also logic, the source added.
In response to media queries over why he said Ma had broken his vow on integrity, Ko yesterday said that he was only “decrypting the data.”
“What I said on Saturday about Ma’s integrity was part of comments made ‘behind closed doors’ and should not be discussed in public,” Ko said, adding that the committee is in charge of the matter now.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old