Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday denied accusations that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) relaxed at a resort a day after a massive earthquake hit Japan, calling the claims fabrications.
The denial comes a day after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers told a press conference that Ma spent Saturday in Greater Taitung and retired to a hot spring hotel.
Following up on a rebuttal made by Presidential Office spokesperson Lo Chih-chiang (羅志強) on Monday saying that Ma had kept in close contact with relevant agencies during his trip and had canceled a subsequent visit to Green Island (綠島), KMT Legislator Lin Yi-shih (林益世) yesterday called the opposition’s claims against Ma “part of a smear [campaign] and a fabrication.”
Speaking about the itinerary, KMT lawmakers said Ma was in Taitung County on official business and had consulted with the National Security Council and the Executive Yuan before he set out at noon.
Information from the Presidential Office showed that Ma was in the county for talks with represetatives from hot springs and other tourism-related sites or businesses.
“Ma had even responded earnestly to the questions DPP lawmaker Lai Kun-cheng (賴坤成) posed during the forum,” said KMT Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑), calling suggestions of a rest “a lie.”
The DPP press conference, citing witnesses including Lai, alleged that Ma had failed to stay on top of Japan’s ongoing crisis, including the possibility of nuclear radiation spreading to Taiwan.
Ma should have immediately convened the National Security Council instead of waiting until Sunday, the DPP lawmakers said.
Contradicting the Presidential Office remarks, they claimed it was only at the suggestion of Lai that Ma canceled his trip to Green Island and returned to Taipei to chair the council meeting.
“The people of Japan are drowning in sea water while Ma was relaxing at hot springs in Taitung,” DPP Legislator Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) said. “The place Ma stayed [on Saturday] was a hot spring hotel — so of course it is natural to assume that Ma relaxed at a hot spring at night.”
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Academics have expressed mixed views on President William Lai’s (賴清德) nomination of High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明) as a Constitutional Court justice and the head of the nation’s top judicial body. While prosecutors have served as justices at the Constitutional Court over the years, including Judy Ju (朱富美), an incumbent, the appointment of a prosecutor as president of the Judicial Yuan, which presides over the Constitutional Court, would be unprecedented. Retired law professor Lin Teng-yao (林騰鷂) said that Tsai’s nomination was an “abuse” of power by Lai, and called on the legislature, in which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
RSS