A panel of legislators who are probing alleged corruption by fellow lawmakers regarding sloppy construction work at the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant yesterday demanded that the accused allow them to look into their bank accounts to clear up the case.
Insisting that they are innocent, the three DPP lawmakers -- Liang Mu-yang (
But they reiterated their plea that their accusers must resign as lawmakers if their charges prove to be false.
The ad-hoc committee met yesterday for the first time after its formation earlier this month and suggested that the trio sign an affidavit allowing the panelists to look into their bank accounts.
PFP lawmaker Chou Hsi-wei (
The controversy surfaced in mid-June when TSU Legislator Su Ying-kwei (
Su said he had evidence, provided by China Shipbuilding Corp (
The allegations were immediately corroborated by PFP Legislator Chiu Yi (
Liang, who has blasted the charge as baseless, said he welcomed the probe.
"I hope that this time the [legislature's] disciplinary committee can reverse its past image of being ineffective," he said. "For my part, I would try my best to cooperate."
Likewise, Huang Ying-chi (
"The panel may go ahead and suggest the information it needs and I will accommodate their requests to the best of my abilities," Huang said. "I only hope the matter can end as soon as possible."
Both called for the banning of their accusers if the investigation proves their innocence.
The ad hoc committee -- comprised of members from across party lines -- is slated to go to Kaohsiung next Tuesday to gather evidence and discuss the case again on July 4.
Seeking to ensure fairness, panelists also urged Su and Chiu to produce evidence to substantiate their accusations.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
RSS