A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker who accused Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) told a press conference that DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) had spent half of her special allowance fund, totaling NT$1.8 million (US$54,644), in paying back debts when she served as director of the Information Department and director of Cultural Affairs for Kaohsiung City Government.
"When Kuan held those positions, half of her allowance was wired directly into her personal account, in the same way as Ma. We ask Kuan to explain how she used the money," Sun said.
Tainan City Councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), a KMT member, said that Kuan's husband Hsu Yang-ming (許陽明) was also doing the same with his special allowance fund when he was Tainan deputy mayor.
Hsieh also accused Hsu of occupying a room in a dormitory, which the city government operates as a profit-making residence, without paying rent while he served in the city government.
In response, Kuan said that Sun's charges were insulting to her.
She admitted that half of her special allowance was wired into her personal account, but said that was how the Kaohsiung City Government dealt with allowances and that she spent all of the money on official expenditure.
"There are no problems with my special allowance. I'm clean," she said, but did not present further details to prove that she had spent the money on official expenditure.
DPP Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
RSS