The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had invited former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) chairwoman Therese Shaheen to comment on KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) green card status.
KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yi (
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (
"Shaheen is a businesswomen now and everyone knows that she is doing arms business with the DPP. Her comments do not represent the US' stance," Wu said during a pre-election media conference at KMT headquarters.
Wu Poh-hsiung also denounced Hsieh for advertising his meeting with AIT Chairman Stephen Young, adding that Young had held a private meeting with him before seeing Hsieh.
"Stephen Young has met me five times this year, but I kept quiet about the meetings," the chairman said. "I don't think it's appropriate to take advantage of foreign friends during election time."
Wu Poh-hsiung said Young met with KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
Meanwhile, Ma's campaign team invited a US immigration lawyer to support the candidate's claim that it was not necessary to complete an I-407 form to give up one's green card.
Chang Yuan-hsiao (
"There are no regulations requiring a green card holder to fill out an I-407 form when he or she gives up [his or her] green card," he said.
In response, Hsieh said Ma's argument was "not worth refuting."
"Ma's remarks obviously confuse the public," he said.
Hsieh also dismissed a report in yesterday's Chinese-language United Daily News. The report cited a statement released by the AIT on March 27, 1996, saying that green cards issued before 1979 were invalid as of March 20, 1996.
The AIT said yesterday that the 1996 statement was issued to explain the regulations and procedures for renewing green cards, and did not touch on expiration.
Hsieh has accused his presidential rival of holding a green card since 1977, while Ma has said his green card was automatically invalidated in 1985 when he applied for a visa to visit the US.
Hsieh's legal team said yesterday that Ma's permanent residency in the US was still valid, regardless of the validity of his green card.
Attorney and former DPP legislator Yang Feng-wan (
"Entering the US on a visitor's visa does not invalidate his permanent residency," she said.
Lin Yu-fang (
Either way, Lin said Ma could easily produce evidence to support his argument or authorize the AIT or US government to do so on his behalf.
"People have the right to know," she said.
Hsieh spokesman Hsu Kuo-yong (
"It is like your driver's license -- you still have the right to drive, even if you don't renew it," he said.
Later yesterday, Hsieh's campaign team denied that Shaheen had been invited to comment on Ma's green card status.
Cheng Wen-tsang (
Asked to comment last night, Young said that Shaheen was a retired US official and anything she said or did reflected her personal opinion -- rather than that of the US government.
Hsieh Hsin-ni (謝欣霓), a spokeswoman for Frank Hsieh, reiterated that the DPP candidate would drop out of the presidential race if Ma could prove that he was not a permanent US resident.
Additional reporting by Jenny W. Hsu and staff writer
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS