Under the instruction of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), the Presidential Office yesterday stripped former deputy secretary-general to the Presidential Office Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) of two medals the president had conferred on him.
Chen Che-nan has been indicted for corruption related to the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) scandal.
The Presidential Office said its decision to strip him of the medals was based on recent findings that Chen Che-nan had used Presidential Office staff to look after personal business. As a result, the Presidential Office stripped him of the Order of the Brilliant Star and the Order of Propitious Clouds.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES
A statement released last night from the Presidential Office, said the president was "severely upset" over the misconduct.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislater insinuated that a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker was the source of a leaked casino photograph related to the KRTC scandal that caused two high-ranking officials to step down.
DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming (
Lee said on Wednesday that a "pan-green heavyweight" had seen the gambling photograph before it was aired on a talk show on cable station TVBS.
Lee earlier yesterday morning said that a lawmaker from the ruling party with a business background had teamed up with gangsters to release a photograph of former deputy secretary-general Chen Che-nan (陳哲男) and former Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) vice chairman Chen Min-hsien (陳敏賢) gambling at a casino on Cheju Island, South Korea.
Lee alleged that the photograph was first handed to gangsters, who then relayed it to the TV station.
The disclosure of the photo cost the two Chens their jobs.
Swearing on his "political reputation," Ker yesterday said that he had not seen the photograph until he read the newspaper the day after the photo was broadcast. He also dismissed a remark by DPP Legislator Tu Wen-ching (杜文卿), who reportedly said that Ker had seen the photograph, as "rubbish."
Meanwhile, independent legislator Chiu Yi (
Chiu alleged that the trip was aimed at persuading Wu and Kong to push the firm's public listing. A Gamania spokesman said Chiu's comments did not make sense as the firm was listed in 2001, while the trip took place in 2002.
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS: Foreign companies such as Nissan, Volkswagen and Konica Minolta have pulled back their operations in China this year Foreign companies pulled more money from China last quarter, a sign that some investors are still pessimistic even as Beijing rolls out stimulus measures aimed at stabilizing growth. China’s direct investment liabilities in its balance of payments dropped US$8.1 billion in the third quarter, data released by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange showed on Friday. The gauge, which measures foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, was down almost US$13 billion for the first nine months of the year. Foreign investment into China has slumped in the past three years after hitting a record in 2021, a casualty of geopolitical tensions,
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
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