The Control Yuan said it would step up investigations into allegations of improper influence and illegal wiretapping in the government.
Hung Te-hsuan (洪德旋), a member of the top supervisory body, who has been looking into former justice minister Tseng Yung-fu’s (曾勇夫) alleged intervention in a court case, has been joined by another member, Wu Feng-shan (吳豐山), in a bid to make the probe “more comprehensive.”
“We are speeding up our investigation and expect to complete it within two or three months,” Wu said, adding that the Control Yuan can only “act within the law to find out the facts,” as the improper influence case has become more complicated, extending even to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Tseng stepped down last month after State Prosecutor General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) gave a press conference disclosing the minister’s alleged involvement in suppressing a court case at the behest of two senior members of the Legislature. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) allegedly tried to help Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) avoid further legal battles in a breach of trust case. Ker was found not guilty, but the prosecution was reportedly going to appeal for a re-trial.
Wu also said he and Hung will investigate whether justice officials were acting in accordance with the law when gathering evidence against the legislators.
As for Ma, who doubles as chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Wu said he will consider the possibility of an “inquiry” with the president over the incident. The Control Yuan’s probe results will not have legal binding force because it only has “administrative investigative” power meant to reprimand malfeasance.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the north and among children, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Monday. Data released by the Chinese National Health Commission on Sunday showed that among children aged one to four, the main pathogens were influenza viruses and rhinoviruses, while among children aged five to 14, the main pathogens
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
INCENTIVES: The province’s ‘21 measures’ include enhanced agricultural loans for Taiwanese farmers, and rent waivers and housing subsidies for Taiwanese start-ups China’s Fujian Province on Monday began implementing 15 economic measures targeting Taiwanese in its latest bid to fan pro-Beijing sentiment ahead of the Jan. 13 elections. Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency said the policies were part of “21 measures” unveiled in September by China for Fujian’s “integrated cross-strait development demonstration zone.” The partially implemented measures, which were created with input from Beijing, include reducing the wait time for Taiwanese applying for a visa from 20 days to five days and free public transit for Taiwanese older than 65, it said. Residents of Taiwan were granted use of the “all provincial Taiwanese entrepreneur compatriot
Tokyo has requested regions in southern Japan to accommodate people evacuated from Okinawa Prefecture in case of a war in the Taiwan Strait, Kyodo news agency reported on Monday. If a conflict breaks out across the Strait, people on the Sakishima Islands, which lie between Taiwan proper and Okinawa’s main island, would have to be evacuated from the prefecture, the news agency reported. An estimated 120,000 people would need to be moved, including 110,000 citizens and 10,000 tourists, it said. Niitani Koushi, who is in charge of crisis management at the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat, visited Yamaguchi Prefecture at the southern end of Japan’s
RSS