Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) wife, Lee Chia-fen (李佳芬), yesterday said that the family on Thursday last week sold its house in Yunlin County, after the Kaohsiung City Government on July 11 determined that the house was illegally built on farmland.
Lee told a news conference that she hopes the media and public would not use her husband’s presidential campaign as an excuse for harassing the new owner.
A report in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) yesterday quoted the buyer, surnamed Chen (陳), as saying during the news conference that she was aware of the legal questions surrounding the purchase and that her lawyer told her that any issues could be resolved legally.
Photo: Lin Kuo-hsien, Taipei Times
When Han announced that he would run for mayor, the family contemplated selling the property, as they had not used the house in Gukeng Township (古坑) since last year, Lee said.
Chen wanted to buy the property last year, but the sale was postponed, as Han was busy with his campaign, she said.
Lee criticized “certain individuals” for “causing incessant calamity” by politicizing the family’s ownership of the property and its sale.
The family eventually continued with the sale out of respect for Chen, who convinced them that they should “not be afraid of others smearing them if they are doing the right thing,” she said.
Improvements to the property have already been made, such as removing the perimeter fence and basketball court, and restoring the land to agricultural use, Lee said.
However, to protect the rights of the buyer, she filed an appeal and is waiting for a decision by the Ministry of the Interior, she added.
Chen, who runs a landscaping business, said she welcomed inspections of the property and would make improvements as required.
Asked how she knew Chen, Lee said they were introduced by a friend in northern Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Cheng Hsu-kai
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS