Lu Tung-long (
"Everybody has the right to speak out, no?" Lu said at a press conference yesterday morning at National Taiwan University.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"People First Party [PFP] Chair-man James Soong (
In response to Soong's criticisms, Lu filed a libel suit against the PFP chief on Nov. 21.
"Taipei prosecutors summoned the actors and actresses in the VCDs because PFP Legislator Chiu Yi (
Lu said that his company was established in July with Hsu Yu-chuan (
He said Hsu initially planned to organize a talk show but the plan fell through because no TV stations would air the show.
"Hsu talked to Formosa TV, ETTV, Era TV and TTV but none of them was willing to work with our company," Lu said.
Lu said that he joined the company after Hsu left and they decided to begin to work on the VCDs on Aug. 20.
He said his production house had completed work on the VCD series parts one to 10, while parts 11 and 12 were almost finished.
Yesterday's press conference was co-organized by the Northern Taiwan Society, the Southern Taiwan Society and the Central Taiwan Society. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chung-mo (
"There should be different voices in a society. They are doing the right thing to contribute themselves to a democratic country," Koo said. "I would love to do all that I can, financially and mentally, to help these young men who are working on Special Report."
Wu complained about the media coverage of the shows, saying, "The press owes me an apology."
Wu was referring to stories about Chiu accusing him of being one of the show's writers.
"Chiu made up stories every day and you guys [reporters] spread the message for him every day, too," Wu said. "Did you ever confirm your story ideas? How can you hurt an innocent person like that? How dare you?"
Wu accused Chiu of lying at least five times in the past seven days -- when he said Wu was one of the writers, when he said Wu had donated NT$6 million to the VCD cast, when he said Wu had installed a hidden camera in the lawmaker's residence and when he said Wu was supported by a unnamed politician.
"Why should a raped person have to find the evidence to prove the rapist guilty? Is it logical and reasonable? No. This is ridiculous," Wu said.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry