Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday filed a defamation lawsuit against a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator for accusing him of using religion to boost his prospects in next year's presidential election.
On Monday KMT Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (
The lawmaker, however, did not present evidence to back his claims, saying only that several borough wardens had told him about the trips.
"The accusation was disrespectful to religion as well as an insult to me," Hsieh said when approached by reporters at Taipei City Council yesterday morning.
Hsieh said he would like to maintain a quality campaign and would resolve similar election controversies in the future through legal action.
Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), director of Hsieh's campaign office, filed the suit on behalf of Hsieh at the Taipei Prosecutors' Office yesterday.
Accompanied by two of Hsieh's campaign lawyers, Chao said they would also take legal action against other KMT legislators should they make further "fraudulent accusations" against Hsieh.
DPP legislators affiliated with Hsieh's campaign voiced their support for his action.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (
Meanwhile, Tsai yesterday told reporters he was not afraid of being sued because what he said during Monday's press conference would stand up to public scrutiny. However, he did not make clear whether he intended to file a lawsuit against Hsieh.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there