The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted a woman for splashing red paint on a portrait of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) at a public memorial service at the Taipei Guest House in August.
Cheng Hui-chung (鄭惠中), a veteran entertainer, was charged with interfering with a public memorial and could face a fine of up to NT$9,000 or up to six months in prison.
She was also charged with destruction of private property, which carries a fine of up to NT$15,000 or up to six months in prison, prosecutors said.
On Aug. 14, Cheng was caught hurling a balloon filled with red paint at Lee’s photograph at a public memorial service in honor of the late president, who had died on July 30.
Some of the paint also splattered nearby items, including a white pillar. She was immediately taken into custody by police.
Prosecutors said that the 68-year-old Cheng vandalized the photograph because she disagreed with Lee’s politics.
However, they said that Cheng would not be charged with breaches of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法) because it is difficult to determine whether she intended to damage the pillar.
People charged with breaches of the act, such as vandalizing a historic building or affiliated facilities, could face a fine of up to NT$20 million and a jail sentence of up to five years.
In January last year, Cheng was detained and investigated for slapping then-minister of culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) at a banquet for veteran entertainers.
She was charged with obstructing government administration, but that charge was dropped by prosecutors in July last year because it was considered a minor offense and the banquet was a private event.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS