The Supreme Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Panel (SIP) yesterday summoned former Presidential Office officials as part of its investigation into former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) suspected embezzlement.
Former Presidential Office secretaries-general Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) and former Presidential Office deputy secretaries-general James Huang (黃志芳) and Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) were summoned. Hau Kuang-tsai (郝廣才), who was in charge of Chen’s 2004 presidential campaign, was also questioned yesterday.
“We need them to help us figure out what ‘secret diplomatic work’ the former president claimed he did [with the fund],” SIP spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said.
None of those called made any comments to the press about their conversations with prosecutors.
Chen Shui-bian’s wife Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) was charged with corruption and forgery in November 2006 for using receipts provided by others to claim reimbursements totaling NT$14.8 million from Chen Shui-bian’s “state affairs fund” between July 2002 and March 2006.
Chen Shui-bian, who had immunity from prosecution while in office, was named as a suspect in the case and was probed as soon as he stepped down from the presidency on May 20.
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm earlier today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, in this year's Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am, the CWA said. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) with a 100km radius, it said. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA meteorologist Huang En-hung (黃恩宏) said. However, a more accurate forecast would be made on Wednesday, when Yinxing is
NEW DESTINATIONS: Marketing campaigns to attract foreign travelers have to change from the usual promotions about Alishan and Taroko Gorge, the transport minister said The number of international tourists visiting Taiwan is estimated to top 8 million by the end of this year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said yesterday, adding that the ministry has not changed its goal of attracting 10 million foreign travelers this year. Chen made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to brief lawmakers about the ministry’s plan to boost foreign visitor arrivals. Last month, Chen told the committee that the nation might attract only 7.5 million tourists from overseas this year and that when the ministry sets next year’s goal, it would not include