Amid the current political firestorm embroiling some of the country’s top political figures, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) stalwarts have spoken out against the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office Special Investigation Division (SID) for its alleged illegal wiretapping of the legislature.
Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) apologized on Sept. 28 for what he called a “mix-up” by the SID.
He said the unit had mistakenly wiretapped a telephone number at the legislature earlier this year, thinking it was assigned to a cellphone used by an aide to Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘).
The SID, based on information it said was from a wiretap of Ker’s telephone, said on Sept. 6 that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) was involved in improper lobbying of then-justice minister Tseng Yung-fu and the head of the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office, Chen Shou-huang (陳守煌), to dissuade a prosecutor from appealing a breach of trust case involving Ker that she was handling.
New Taipei City (新北市) Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe to find out who was responsible for the wiretapping.
“The political row has happened. It is to the misfortune of our nation, and of our people. Now do the right thing by the public; managing the economy is the most important thing,” Chu said on Tuesday.
“People are going through tough times, but they see all these controversial political issues and they just shake their heads. They are asking the political parties and leaders to demonstrate wisdom [on handling the political row],” he added.
When asked whether Huang should resign over his role in the affair, Chu said that a thorough judicial probe must be conducted.
“Because this must not be allowed to happen in democratic nations, which includes Taiwan. Those who are responsible must bear their responsibility,” he said.
Separately, Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚), questioned by county councilors on the matter, said: “Illegal wiretapping is much more serious than bribery and corruption. It is the biggest crisis in a democratic society.”
“Wiretapping of the legislature absolutely cannot be tolerated. A judicial probe must be carried out and report its results to the public, who are the real masters whom the government serves,” he added.
Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), in response to media queries, said the SID has made a number of mistakes on wiretapping, and this has harmed the SID’s credibility and diminished the public’s confidence in the judiciary.
Additional reporting by Hsieh Wu-hsiung and CNA
Measures have been taken to minimize damage from Chinese espionage, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday, in response to an alleged plan to deliver a Chinook helicopter to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese-language CTWANT magazine earlier in the day reported that a lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsieh (謝) was approached by Chinese officers with an offer to evacuate his family to Thailand in the event of a cross-strait conflict. In exchange, Hsieh was asked to fly a CH-47F Chinook helicopter to a Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait, the magazine said. Hsieh initially declined, but accepted after he was
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
RSS