A Control Yuan task force looking into the Lafayette frigate scandal should release its report on the case within three days, an independent legislative candidate said yesterday.
The task force has completed its probe into the case, but says it won't release its report on the matter until after the Dec. 1 elections.
Roger Hsieh (
PHOTO: AFP
"I totally disagree with the task force's decision to postpone the release of the report until after the elections," Hsieh said.
"This is an issue that concerns national security and the death of a Taiwanese naval officer," the legislative candidate said. "It should be our first priority to figure out what's going on with this scandal. How can we wait until after the elections?"
Hsieh also questioned the role of the Control Yuan in the case, saying the investigation of the purchasing scandal was a job for the judiciary.
"I don't understand how the task force can investigate the scandal when it should be a job for prosecutors," he said.
Over the past year, a Control Yuan task force led by Kang Ning-hsiang (
On Nov. 3, Kang said the task force had finished its investigation and was prepared to release its report at any time. But a majority of the group's members decided to wait until after the elections.
"Now that Kang has said the task force has finished its investigation, we would like to ask them to release the report within three days," Hsieh said. "People have the right to know the truth ... don't they?"
Control Yuan member Lin Chu-liang (林鉅鋃), who accepted Hsieh's petition yesterday to have the report released, said the body wouldn't be influenced by political pressure in its work.
Kang said yesterday that task-force members would choose the best time to release the report.
"I can guarantee that we were not affected by any sort of political pressure," Kang said. "But we have to make sure everything is ready before we officially release the report, which is not now."
The Control Yuan task force has interviewed several key witnesses in the Lafayette frigate case, including former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝); Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村), the former chief of the general staff who later became premier; Yeh Chang-tung (葉昌桐), a retired admiral and former naval commander-in-chief; and Lei Hsueh-ming (雷學明), a former vice admiral.
Task-force members have also been to France twice as a part of their investigation.
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
RSS