Former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) broke down in tears multiple times yesterday as he spoke about judicial probes that were “politically motivated” and of inhumane treatment during his detention, at a court hearing on his appeal for bail.
The charges against Ko in connection with Core Pacific City development project are merely an attempt to "take him down" and implicated uninvolved individuals, resulting in wrongful detentions, the former mayor told the Taiwan Taipei District Court.
Ko, who has been in incommunicado detention at Taipei Detention Center for over a year, said that he lives in a cell with no sunlight, where he "sleeps by a foul-smelling toilet" that forces him to wear a mask even while sleeping.
Photo: Liu Hsin-te, Taipei Times
The hearing was held to review the requests filed by Ko and Taipei City Councilor Ying Hsiao-wei (應曉薇), who was also indicted on bribery in the same case, seeking their release when their extended detention period ends on Oct. 1.
Ko and Ying were among 11 people indicted in December last year over the project in which Core Pacific Group Chairman Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) is alleged to have bribed Ko for favorable treatment during his tenure as mayor.
The investigation into the project started amid suspicion about the sharp increase in the floor area ratio — the total floor space of a building divided by the size of the land it sits on — from 560 percent to 840 percent.
Ko was charged on four counts, including allegedly receiving a NT$15 million (US$489,000) bribe from Sheen — who was granted bail and released in July — for which prosecutors are seeking a total prison term of 28 years and six months.
During the court hearing, Ko said prosecutors cited the alleged bribe as the main reason for his detention, but questioned what evidence they had to support the allegation after a year of him being in custody.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS