Bureau of Investigation Director Yeh Sheng-mao (葉盛茂) failed to appear at a court hearing on People First Party (PFP) Chair-man James Soong's (宋楚瑜) defamation suit against President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday.
Yeh, who had been summoned to give testimony at the hearing, requested a leave of absence on the grounds that he had "important official duties" to perform elsewhere.
Also summoned was Chang You-hua (
Yeh and Chang were to give testimony regarding Chen's allegation that Soong secretly met with Chen Yunlin (
Chang told the court yesterday that his comments might have been used by Chen to allege Soong met in secret with a senior Chinese official earlier this year.
Chang said he had mentioned the so-called "Soong-Chen meeting" six times from March to May this year on TV talk shows.
Chang told the court that the sources of his information about the "secret meeting" were the Chinese-language United Daily News and Wealth Magazine, a monthly publication.
Chang claimed it was "not [his] duty" to double-check the "news" he was commenting on, as he was a news commentator, not a news reporter.
In spite of Chen's claim that his allegation was "based on something," Soong filed a slander suit against the president, seeking NT$50 million in damages and a public apology from the president printed in major newspapers for three consecutive days.
Soong claimed that since Chen could not produce any evidence to support his "groundless" allegation, the public had lost confidence in the nation's political leaders.
The PFP leader is in another legal spat with former president Lee Teng-hui (
A ruling on Soong's defamation suit against Lee is scheduled to be handed down on the 16th of next month, after counsel for the two sides failed to reach a settlement before the end of a court hearing on Wednesday.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Taiwan’s Li Yu-hsiang performs in the men’s singles figure skating short program at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Li finished 24th with a score of 72.41 to advance to Saturday’s free skate portion of the event. He is the first Taiwanese to qualify for the free skate of men’s singles figure skating at the Olympics since David Liu in 1992.
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday held a ceremony marking the delivery of its 11th Anping-class offshore patrol vessel Lanyu (蘭嶼艦), saying it would boost Taiwan’s ability to respond to Beijing’s “gray zone” tactics. Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chang Chung-Lung (張忠龍) presided over the CGA event in the Port of Kaoshiung. Representatives of the National Security Council also attended the event. Designed for long-range and protracted patrol operations at sea, the Lanyu is a 65.4m-long and 14.8m-wide ship with a top speed of 44 knots (81.5kph) and a cruising range of 2,000 nautical miles (3704km). The vessel is equipped with a
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