Prosecutor-General Huang Shyh-ming (黃世銘) should live up to his pledge of impartiality and launch an investigation into the reported monitoring of opposition candidates as soon as possible, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.
The party also lamented Huang’s refusal to meet with its representatives on Friday over the intelligence authorities’ reported monitoring of DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said at a press conference.
The Chinese-language Next Magazine reported on Wednesday that National Security Council -Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真) asked the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau to monitor Tsai in May and had submitted the information to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Ma, who is seeking re-election, on Friday said he was not aware of the alleged monitoring and pledged to punish those responsible if it was proven to have taken place.
Chen and DPP lawyer Hsu Kuo-yong (徐國勇) asked Ma and intelligence officials three questions yesterday after Tsai did the same in a televised presidential platform presentation on Friday night.
They asked why, if the allegations were true, Huang has not ordered an investigation and demanded that bureau director Chang Ji-ping (張濟平) explain the purpose of a form published by the magazine.
Given that the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division (SID) had promptly launched an investigation into the so-called “Yu Chang case,” in which Tsai has been accused of improper involvement in the formation of a biotechnology company, he added, the SID should also be able to do the same for the monitoring case.
If Huang keeps ignoring the monitoring case, he would not be able to erase the public’s doubt that the SID only investigates cases related to pan-green politicians, Chen said.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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