Lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chen Min-wen (陳明文) and Yu Tien (余天) as well as other DPP colleagues against three politicians who accused them of associating with a bookmaker.
DPP spokesperson Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成), an attorney, and Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎), the DPP’s legal adviser, filed a defamation lawsuit on Chen’s behalf at the Taipei Prosecutors’ Office against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), the self-proclaimed “king of lawsuits.”
They also filed defamation lawsuits on behalf of Yu, DPP legislative candidate Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) and Hung Yao-nan (洪耀南) against Chiu, Taipei City Councilor Lin Ruei-tou (林瑞圖) and KMT legislative candidate Ou Chung-ching (歐崇敬) over similar allegations.
During a political talk show on Wednesday night, Chiu said Chen Min-wen had asked Chiayi-based bookmaker Chen Ying-chu (陳盈助) to make arrangements for DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) when she visited the Philippines in June.
“Chen [Min-wen] neither asked the bookmaker to receive Tsai nor help with DPP fundraising in the Philippines,” Kang told reporters.
Chiu also said Chen Ying-chu had hosted Cheng for free trips to Chen Ying-chu’s casinos in Manila and Macau.
Chen Ying-chu has been in the headlines in recent days because of an alleged meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in September.
Ou said four former DPP chairpersons had befriended Chen Ying-chu, while Lin said that former premier Yu Shyi-kun received a monthly payment of NT$500,000 from the bookmaker, who also reportedly helped Yu Tien to pay off a NT$60 million gambling debt.
“None of the allegations are true,” Kang said.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard