The wife of former Taipei Deputy Mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) died today in an apparent suicide prior to Pong's appearance in court today in connection with the Core Pacific corruption case.
The Taipei District Court today summoned Pong, former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京), founder and chairman of the real-estate conglomerate Core Pacific Group, to listen to a recording of Pong’s interrogation.
While waiting in court for the hearing to begin, Pong received a call from his family that his wife had died after falling from a building in Kaohsiung, leading to him breaking down in tears.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Following the news, the court canceled the morning session and plans to listen to the recordings in the afternoon.
Pong told the prosecutors that he wanted to commit suicide to prove his innocence.
The court considered sending Pong to the hospital for treatment, but later allowed him to return home with his younger brother.
The Kaohsiung City Fire Department said today that it received a report at 9:01am of a woman who fell from a building in Sanming (三民) District.
Arriving on the scene, they found a 72-year-old woman surnamed Hsieh (謝), who was Pong's wife, on the ground. She was declared dead at the scene, they added.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), which Pong is a member of, said that it is deeply shocked and sad, adding that its members who had been present at the court felt grief and anger as Pong expressed his sorrow.
It extended condolences to Pong and his family and called on society to show him care and understanding, it said.
The party would support Pong in handling subsequent matters and provide legal support, it said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it empathized with Pong, and questioned whether the court is forcing defendants to confess, asking if this was the democratic system that President William Lai (賴清德) has highlighted.
Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said she has known Pong for years and that this is a tragic situation.
With regards to the investigation, Wu said that she hoped prosecutors and investigators would be fair.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS