Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) on Thursday filed a complaint against people who allegedly used pro-China media reports to contribute to defamation of his father, who owns a trading company.
Shen and a lawyer asked the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to investigate the incidents, saying: “As a legislator, my work often gets examined in public discourse. No matter what, it must not embroil my family, but they have been subjected to rumors and personal attacks.”
“Legal action is necessary, as several online sites and their owners are making up stories and distortions about me and my family members,” he said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Hong Kong’s Ta Kung Pao on June 3 published full-page stories criticizing Puma Shen and his father, Shen Tu-cheng (沈土城), the head of Sicuens International Co, saying that they had allegedly profited from Chinese-made merchandise.
The report was shared widely online.
Puma Shen said he has collected evidence and is representing his father to request an investigation into a YouTuber and the owners of two Facebook pages for alleged defamation.
He said he also plans to file a complaint next week against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi over alleged defamation.
“Fu has said many times that I was a spy and that I have houses in the US, among other claims,” Puma Shen said.
“Fu has used information from China’s customs agency to attack me,” he said. “When he visited China, he met these officials, so Fu is an important link in these smear campaigns and must face prosecution for his claims.”
Fu said he welcomes meeting Puma Shen in court and urged him to show how he receives funding from foreign countries, as the public is also interested in the matter.
Fu said that his comments regarding Puma Shen had all come from media reports.
KMT New Taipei City Councilor Lin Kuo-chun (林國春) and New Party Taipei City Councilor Hou Han-ting (侯漢廷) have sued Puma Shen, accusing him of contravening national security laws, he said.
“We would like to know whether Puma Shen’s Kuma Academy and other institutes had received special funding from the US,” Fu said, referring to the non-profit civil defense organization Puma Shen cofounded and accusations by Hou that Puma Shen received financial support from the American Institute in Taiwan to organize a training program.
“Is he hiding a special operative mission?” Fu asked. “We want him to explain the situation clearly in court.”
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