Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday refused to apologize over his controversial trip to Hong Kong he made shortly before accepting the premiership, saying he would resign if he had offered an incorrect account of the visit.
Pressed for an apology on the first day of the new legislative session by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators over the trip, during which he met two members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Wu said: “I should not have to apologize.”
“I would do something to take responsibility if I had lied about anything surrounding the trip … including resigning,” Wu told DPP caucus whip Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津) during a question-and-answer session.
PHOTO: NICKY LOH, REUTERS
Since assuming office last Thursday, Wu has been bombarded with questions regarding the short trip he made to Hong Kong on Sept. 5, a sensitive time as it was after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had asked him to take the job as premier and before his appointment was announced on Sept. 6.
The issue was further complicated by inconsistent explanations offered by government officials on the purpose of Wu’s trip and the concealment of his meeting with Peter Kwok (郭炎), a CPPCC member, as well as his meeting with the man many see as Beijing’s preferred candidate for the territory’s next chief executive, Leung Chun-ying (梁振英).
Wu admitted that he had met with Leung, but his explanation that it was to discuss mudslide prevention methods was met with skepticism by the DPP.
The DPP has accused Wu of discussing his appointment as premier with Beijing’s representatives and seeking China’s prior approval.
“You first said you went there to find out more about [the Hong Kong administration’s work on] mudslide prevention, but then you said you didn’t, as it [Sept. 5] was a Saturday. First you said you were invited by Leung, but then Leung said you asked to see him. Then you said you didn’t meet with any Chinese officials, but you were pictured talking to Peter Kwok,” DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) said.
Prior to the question-and-answer session, Wu struggled to deliver his administrative report amid calls for an apology.
Wu’s presentation was delayed by 80 minutes as DPP lawmakers staged a boycott of the session following his refusal to offer an apology for what they said were his “unclear accounts” of his trip and the “numerous lies” he had told when explaining it.
Flanked by DPP lawmakers holding banners that read: “Liar Yih, Apologize,” “Liar premier, how can you rule a country without honesty?” Wu skipped a large portion of his 15-page statement, polishing it off in just 10 minutes.
Wu raised his voice toward the end of his presentation as DPP lawmakers interrupted him by shouting “liar” whenever Wu talked about what he expected to achieve.
Approached by reporters during the lunch break, Wu said that he “has a clear conscience” about his trip to Hong Kong, so he couldn’t act rashly and offer an apology.
Wu acknowledged meeting Kwok after a picture of them standing outside a restaurant was published in Thursday’s Chinese-language Apple Daily, saying that Kwok introduced a fortune teller to his youngest son.
While the DPP continued to question Wu about the purpose of his meeting with Kwok, KMT Legislator Ho Tsai-feng (侯彩鳳) said that it was “not a surprise” that Wu went to see a fortune teller.
“It’s no secret that [Wu] has always sought the opinions of fortune tellers when he is at a crossroads. He does this and many people in the south know about it,” Ho said.
Earlier yesterday, Wu denied again that he went to see the fortune teller in Hong Kong himself.
Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) dismissed the allegation made by KMT Legislator Lo Ming-tsai (羅明才) that Wu’s trip to Hong Kong was disclosed to DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) by Mainland Affairs Council official Jeff Yang (楊家駿), the country’s representative to the territory.
DPP spokesman Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) also said it was not true.
“Lo’s accusation was not true at all — it is a KMT strategy to blur the issue,” Chao said yesterday. “The controversial thing about the trip is Wu’s honesty and the crisis of confidence in the Cabinet that results. No one should try to blur the focus.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOA IOK-SIN
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS