The Kaohsiung Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生), chief of Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu’s (陳菊) office, and Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), secretary-general of the city’s Tourism Bureau, over allegations that they had forged Chen’s schedule for the day Typhoon Fanapi caused severe flooding in the city.
According to the indictment, a number of accidents had been reported in Kaohsiung from 3pm on Sept. 19, which had been declared a typhoon day in the city. To cover the fact that Chen was still taking a rest at her residence during that time, Tseng and Lai allegedly forged her schedule for the afternoon to avoid criticism of her.
To avoid a blank period in her schedule, Tseng and Lai wrote that she was scheduled for city inspections from 2pm to 5pm, including inspections in the city’s severely flooded Sanmin District (三民).
Responding to the indictments, Tseng and Lai said the schedule was “a careless written mistake.”
Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), spokesman for Chen’s campaign headquarters, said Tseng and Lai displayed the schedule to the city council and media to clarify some false accusations against Chen.
A TV talk show falsely accused Chen of campaigning for her re-election on that afternoon was to blame, Chao said.
He said the mayor’s daily schedule was provided to the media for reference only and that the schedule was not an official document.
As a result, the crime of document forgery does not exist subjectively or objectively, Chao said, adding that Tseng and Lai would defend their reputations in court.
Prosecutors announced on Friday that they would not indict Chen and Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) for negligence of duty on the day of the typhoon.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS