Accusations continued yesterday over a "blankets for votes" scandal, with lawmakers pointing fingers at Taiwan's representative to Sweden, James C.Y. Chu (祝基瀅), and accusing him of turning donations into KMT party assets.
The allegations began on Thursday when legislators said that the KMT had been handing out blankets donated to Taiwan by the Swedish government in exchange for signed endorsement cards last week at a campaign function in Tungshih (
The blankets, along with sleeping bags and tents, had been part of earthquake relief goods donated by Sweden in October.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday confirmed that the goods were solicited by the Chinese Youth Peace Corps (CYPC) through Taiwan's trade mission in Sweden.
The role that Chu played in the transaction has raised a few eyebrows at the Legislative Yuan.
"Why is it that relief goods have ended up in the hands of the CYPC?" asked independent lawmaker Chen Chen-sheng (
"The residents of the disaster area have said that they had to sign Lien's endorsement card to get the blankets. It's obvious the party is using relief goods as campaign gifts," he said.
The CYPC is part of the KMT's Department of Youth Affairs headed by Lai Kuo-chou (
Chu once served as the KMT's deputy secretary-general and is known to have close ties with Lai.
The scandal has also brought to light the role of the foreign ministry is transporting the relief aid.
A group of legislators aligned with independent presidential candidate James Soong (
"The ministry is only responsible for delivering the goods to the earthquake relief center in Nantou. You would have to ask the relevant person on how the goods were distributed," reiterated the ministry's spokesman, Henry Chen (
Hu strongly denied he turned over the relief goods to the KMT and said the blankets were specifically marked to be delivered to the CYPC. The Swedish representative has declined to comment on the incident.
UPDATED (3:40pm): A suspected gas explosion at a shopping mall in Taichung this morning has killed four people and injured 20 others, as emergency responders continue to investigate. The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Situn District (西屯) at 11:33am. One person was declared dead at the scene, while three people were declared deceased later after receiving emergency treatment. Another 20 people sustained major or minor injuries. The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the explosion at 11:33am and sent rescuers to respond. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, it said. The National Fire
ALL-IN-ONE: A company in Tainan and another in New Taipei City offer tours to China during which Taiwanese can apply for a Chinese ID card, the source said The National Immigration Agency and national security authorities have identified at least five companies that help Taiwanese apply for Chinese identification cards while traveling in China, a source said yesterday. The issue has garnered attention in the past few months after YouTuber “Pa Chiung” (八炯) said that there are companies in Taiwan that help Taiwanese apply for Chinese documents. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) last week said that three to five public relations firms in southern and northern Taiwan have allegedly assisted Taiwanese in applying for Chinese ID cards and were under investigation for potential contraventions of the Act Governing
STAY WARM: Sixty-three nontraumatic incidents of OHCA were reported on Feb. 1, the most for a single day this year, the National Fire Agency said A total of 415 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurred this month as of Saturday, data from the National Fire Agency showed as doctors advised people to stay warm amid cold weather, particularly people with cardiovascular disease. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a low temperature warning nationwide except for Penghu County, anticipating sustained lows of 10°C or a dip to below 6°C in Nantou, Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as areas north of Yunlin County. The coldest temperature recorded in flat areas of Taiwan proper yesterday morning was 6.4°C in New Taipei City’s Shiding District (石碇). Sixty-three nontraumatic OHCA
COMMITTED: Lai said that Taiwan deeply appreciated the leaders’ statement, adding that the nation would remain steadfast in working to advance regional peace and prosperity US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement issued after they met in Washington for their first official meeting. Trump and Ishiba “affirmed their determination to pursue a new golden age for US-Japan relations that upholds a free and open Indo-Pacific and brings peace and prosperity to a violent and disorderly world,” the US-Japan Joint Leaders’ Statement said. “The two leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity for the
RSS