Tainan City Council Speaker Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教), who is charged with vote-buying, yesterday held what he called an “international press conference” to accuse Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) of “ruining the spirit of democracy” with his ongoing boycott of the council and to question Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) “eligibility” as a prospective president for supporting Lai.
“I want to accuse,” Lee said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, speaking partly in English. “Lai used his massive budget and political resources to share the positions to those prosecutor [sic] and judge” who “try to sentence me [sic].”
Likening his 54 days in detention to “hell” and saying he was charged without “evidence or reason,” Lee said he wanted to make public his accusations against Lai “to the media and the world,” which could “assess the value of the justice” for him.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“Lai used his political power to bully me via the media and accused me of involvement in ‘black money,’ but the fact is that I did not hold any public office position in the past eight years. Only the city government, with its massive budget and administrative resources, is capable of corruption,” he said.
Lee accused Lai of land speculation involving property around the city’s new civic center and of possible corruption in the Feiyan New Village (飛雁新村) urban renewal project undertaken by Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設). He said that five of the eight members of the committee reviewing the project are officials of the city’s Bureau of Urban Development.
He also alleged that SET-TV chief executive Lin Kun-hai (林崑海) had purchased a vast tract of land designated for educational and cultural use, and had it rezoned for property development with the help of the Lai administration.
Lee said that the country would be “destroyed” if Tsai — who he said has “accompanied Lai in his attempt to turn back time and bring the country to the period of Martial Law” — and Lai are elected as the nation’s president and vice president respectively.
“William Lai ruin [sic] the spirit of democracy. I want to accuse to the world, this kind of person like Tsai Ing-wen, they are not eligible to campaign for the presidential position,” Lee said in English. “Why Tsai Ing-wen wants to show respect to William Lai by not entering parliament, why? Tell me why? Tell me the word [sic].”
“I would like to reiterate, 30 years ago, so many distinguished persons from the DPP sacrificed their life and spent all their life [sic] and money to pursue democracy,” he said, again switching to English. “I swear to the [sic] God I will fight for democracy.”
Lee said his “parliamentary colleagues” had tried to invite other councilors to attend council meetings, but was told that they would lose construction funds if they do.
“I have my colleagues as witness to Lai’s intimidation against the councilors by using his administrative resources,” Lee said.
He called on the Executive Yuan, which has the authority to punish top administrative officials, to take action.
“Both the Executive Yuan and the KMT have been playing ostrich since the electoral rout in the local elections last November,” he said.
Lee is under investigation over allegations of vote-buying during the Nov. 29 elections. The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office filed a petition with the court on Dec. 31 last year to invalidate his election as a city councilor.
His speakership has also been called into question. He was arrested in February, detained for 54 days and formally charged on April 2 with vote-buying in last year’s Tainan City Council speakership election. He was released on NT$15 million (US$483,076) bail.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old