The Journalist (新新聞) admitted yesterday that it lacked any concrete evidence to prove Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) had spoken with one its top editors.
But at the same time it blamed Lu for erasing telephone records which would have revealed she was spreading rumors of an affair in the Presidential Office and trying to undermine President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
The president of The Journalist, Wang Chien-chuang (王健壯), said yesterday at a late night press conference that the story was based on two phone calls between Yang Chao (
Yang, who received a message from Lu and then had a conversation with her, said he had no way of recording their dialogue.
"When Yang received Lu's phone calls, he was in the car on his way home. There was no way for him to tape their conversation. Besides, criminal law prohibits phone taping [without consent] as a violation of privacy," Wang said.
"The scenario we were most concerned about has happened," Wang added.
Wang said that the incoming calls made by Lu had not shown up on Yang's phone records, therefore, he suspected that Lu had exerted the powers of her office to alter Yang's incoming phone records.
Lu's lawyers flatly denied the accusation two hours later.
"[The media] has reached a verdict [on Lu] before any trial has been conducted. They kept [unfairly] accusing Lu of conspiracy based on what she had said or done [without evidence]," Lu's lawyer, Chiu Ya-wen (
In a written press release Chiu argued that while the media has the right to report the truth it also needs to back its reports up with evidence.
"Such a serious accusation has the capability of shaking the nation's foundations," Chiu said in the release. "Lu's name must be cleared."
The libel suit between Lu and the magazine is expected to have its first trial hearing on Friday. Both parties have previously requested the details of Yang's incoming and outgoing telephone calls between 10pm to midnight on Nov. 3 -- a pivotal piece of evidence to be used in court to potentially bolster the libel case, or sink it.
After Lu filed the libel suit against The Journalist on Dec. 21, Yang said that he had received Lu's telephone calls, in which she intentionally circulated details of Chen's alleged extra-martial affair with his aide and translator Bikhim Hsiao (蕭美琴). Yang and Lu have been accusing each other of lying ever since.
Yang dismissed accusations that the magazine had conjured up a lie just to boost circulation, which later became difficult to patch up, he said.
"How could my luck be so bad as to pick a date when the vice president coincidentally placed absolutely no outgoing calls," Yang said yesterday at the press conference, adding that Lu's telephone records showed that she made several calls the midnight before and after Nov. 3.
While Lu did not make any telephone calls on her mobile phone on Nov 3, she did make some from her home, one of Lu's lawyer said.
"This explains why there are no telephone records showing calls from her mobile," said Yu Mei-nu (
Yang said that many other illogical details had cast doubt on whether Lu was lying. For example, Lu first denied she had made that phone call, but later argued that someone faked her name to make that call, he said.
"This shows that there was a call made," Yang said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College