Taipei prosecutors yesterday summoned former Hsinchu Bureau of Cultural Affairs chief Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳) to attend a hearing with prosecutors this afternoon at the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office.
"Chu has been requested to attend the hearing as a plaintiff," said Chen Hung-ta (陳宏達), the spokesman of the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office. "Tuesday's meeting between Chu and prosecutors will focus on questions surrounding her charges against Scoop Weekly (獨家報導)."
Last month Scoop distributed a VCD which purported to show Chu having sex with a married man.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
Chu has refused to confirm or deny that she was the woman in the VCD, even when interviewed by TV host Hu Chung-hsing (胡忠信) last week.
On Dec. 31, the 36-year-old former politician, formally filed libel charges against 19 people. Among those charged are employees of the tabloid-style magazine, including its president, Shen Yeh (沈野), and its publisher, Shen Jung (沈嶸) as well as Chung-ti Technology, the company which produced the VCD.
Chu's recent public comments have, however, helped the investigations into the scandal and her charges against the magazine, Chen said.
"Before she decided to face everybody," he said, "prosecutors had to worry about her safety and privacy when they interviewed her or contacted her for questions because we didn't want to hurt her again. We cannot ignore her during the investigation, however, since she is at the center of the scandal. It has been difficult to strike the right balance. Since she has become mentally stronger, however, and willing to face the world, prosecutors' jobs have become a lot easier."
A source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Taipei Chief Prosecutor Lin Jinn-tsun (
Neither Chu's office nor that of her lawyer was receiving telephone calls yesterday.
Lin told the Taipei Times: "We handed the summons to her lawyer but I cannot tell you which prosecutor issued the summons, which room in the building the hearing will be held in or whether Chu has received the summons or not."
When asked last week if she was the woman in the video, Chu said: "It's very possible that it's me. It really did look like me. But I am not sure whether the VCD is a fake or not. What I can say is that the hidden camera was not installed by me. Nor did I arrange for it to be installed."
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
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