The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) representative in Wash-ington, Jason Yuan (
DPP Legislator Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) yesterday sued Yuan at the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office, citing an alleged violation of Article 158 of the Criminal Code, which punishes people who impersonate public officials with a maximum three years in jail.
The 20-page pamphlets, which Yuan sent to US senators and representatives together with a cover letter summarizing the contents last month, were part of a KMT campaign to challenge the legitimacy of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election.
Yuan is a former director general of the foreign ministry's Department of North American Affairs and the nation's former ambassador to Panama.
Yuan wrote in his letter that Bulletgate referred to "the mysterious gun shooting case" and "many irregularities of that election." He signed his name as "Amb. Jason C. Yuan/Representative" in the letter.
"According to tradition, diplomats who have served as ambassadors are indeed respectfully addressed as ambassadors even after they take up new posts or after they retire," Wang said.
"But tradition is one thing; Yuan calling himself an ambassador is another. He retired earlier this year and is no longer a civil servant ... He is just the opposition party's representative in the US. Calling himself an ambassador is questionable behavior," Wang said.
Wang added that Yuan may have also violated Article 159 of the Criminal Code, which forbids the unauthorized use of uniforms or official titles.
A senior government official who recently wrapped up a trip to Washington said the KMT's campaign in the US had caused "significant damage" to the government's image.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on Yuan's conduct when asked about Wang's accusation.
"Yuan is a retired official. His remarks and actions do not represent the ministry," said Anna Kao (高安), deputy director general of the ministry's Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, at a press conference yesterday.
"Our representative offices in the US have sent documents to the relevant US government agencies to clear concerns [about the election]," she said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
EVERYONE’S ISSUE: Kim said that during a visit to Taiwan, she asked what would happen if China attacked, and was told that the global economy would shut down Taiwan is critical to the global economy, and its defense is a “here and now” issue, US Representative Young Kim said during a roundtable talk on Taiwan-US relations on Friday. Kim, who serves on the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee, held a roundtable talk titled “Global Ties, Local Impact: Why Taiwan Matters for California,” at Santiago Canyon College in Orange County, California. “Despite its small size and long distance from us, Taiwan’s cultural and economic importance is felt across our communities,” Kim said during her opening remarks. Stanford University researcher and lecturer Lanhee Chen (陳仁宜), lawyer Lin Ching-chi
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