Taiwanese independence advocate Lo Yi (羅宜) yesterday denied news reports alleging that he had purchased cannabis, saying he was targeted for vilification because he had confronted Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) over an Olympics name rectification campaign.
Controversy over Lo’s alleged drug use has stirred wide discussion in the media and online, with some people supporting Lo and calling for Taiwan to decriminalize the use of cannabis.
The Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media on Wednesday cited a drug conviction against a man surnamed Chien (簡), who was 29 in 2016 when he was convicted of selling cannabis and LSD to friends.
In a second ruling, Chien received a 12-year prison sentence. A decision on his appeal to the Supreme Court is still pending.
Lo in 2016 allegedly purchased NT$16,000 of cannabis from Chien, as they knew each other while in college, the magazine article said, citing court documents.
Lo denied the allegations, saying that he was never charged and it was “outrageous” for a news report to quote from unverified sources.
Lo last month received media attention after he asked Ko to sign a referendum proposal to change the nation’s name from “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan” for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Some netizens said that Lo lost his credibility after being outed as a drug user, while others promoted the legalization of medical and personal use of cannabis, as the world is trending toward decriminalization.
Advocates pointed to a decision by the South African Supreme Court on Tuesday that legalized private use of cannabis.
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
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
RSS