Officials yesterday denied allegations that they had tried to influence China Airlines Co (
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not made any contact with the China Airlines Co," said Katharine Chang (
Chang also denied allegations that Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
Chang admitted, however, that both the US and the EU had expressed "deep concerns" over the purchase, adding that the task of the ministry was merely to pass on information.
"The CAL purchase of aircraft is a commercial action of a private firm. The foreign ministry strictly adheres to neutrality and absolutely avoids any interference or illegally lobbying," Chang said.
Lee yesterday also denied allegations that Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (
The series of denials from officials came following allegations made by PFP lawmakers yesterday morning.
They said Chien, Lin and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Shih-meng (
Chen said yesterday that the lawmakers' reporting of hearsay was a "shameless" move.
However, the government seems to be coming under increasing pressure to bring its influence to bear on the airline.
Yesterday, Douglas Paal, the US' de facto ambassador to Taiwan, took Boeing executives to meet President Chen Shui-bian (
Chien as well as Lin were also present at the meeting, according to the sources.
The president reportedly said during the meeting that the purchase should not be viewed as merely commercial behavior and asked government agencies to further study the case.
PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (
"This showed that high-ranking government officials have attempted to disrupt professional judgement with political considerations," Liu said in a press release, while vowing to look into what he termed the "political trade-offs" involved in the case.
Lin yesterday afternoon also requested China Airlines to produce a purchase evaluation report, reiterating that he would respect the airlines' decision.
Lin also serves as the chairman of China Aviation Development Foundation (
Paal has visited various government officials lately together with Boeing executives in an apparent move to lure China Airlines into buying the planes from Boeing.
AIT yesterday declined to comment on any aspect of the purchase.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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