Independent Legislator Sisy Chen (
She also said that all of the allegations she made on the eve of the election concerning the assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) were based on information provided by the alliance's campaign headquarters, in an apparent challenge to the veracity of comments made by Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou on March 19.
Her remarks came in the midst of a storm of criticism from a number of pan-blue legislators who, believing that her baseless allegations at the March 19 press conference had provoked resentment in undecided voters and may have drawn support to President Chen Shui-bian, and that she should be responsible for the defeat of the alliance in the March 20 presidential election.
On Monday, KMT Spokesman Alex Tsai (
Defending herself, Sisy Chen placed a phone call to a call-in TV talk show late Monday night.
The topic of the call-in program then was whether Sisy Chen should be responsible for the pan-blue camp's defeat in the election.
Sisy Chen, a former spokeswoman for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who now supports the pan-blue camp and has been acting as its "advisor," held a press conference at the KMT-PFP alliance's campaign headquarters at midnight on March 19, saying that the hospital had faked the medical records of Chen Shui-bian and Lu, who were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt earlier that afternoon.
At the press conference -- with Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) also present in his capacity as the national chief of the alliance's campaign -- Sisy Chen insinuated that the shooting was "just a trick" to win sympathy and claimed to have information from "an anonymous nurse" that the national security system was involved in the conspiracy. She has not at any time produced evidence to back her claims.
"Statements I made during the March 19 press conference relevant to the election-eve shooting [of Chen Shui-bian and Lu] were not my personal opinion," Sisy Chen said on Monday, contradicting a statement made on March 19 by Ma.
At the press conference, Ma made a point of saying that everything Sisy Chen said during the conference was her own opinion. At that time she did not contest his assertion, and told reporters that Ma included the disclaimer with her acquiesence.
A number of pan-blue legislators believe that her "wild allegations" at the March 19 press conference had turned off undecided voters and led them to support Chen Shui-bian.
"I can tell everyone that all the information was provided by the [KMT-PFP] alliance's national campaign headquarters," she said, adding that KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
In response to Sisy Chen's remarks, Ma yesterday said that although he was present at the press conference, he knew only part of what she was going to say at the press conference beforehand.
Although not a member of the alliance, the sharp-tongued Sisy Chen, one of the president's most obdurate critics, has been a great boost to the pan-blue camp. While her opinions and advice had been valued by the alliance's leaders, she also drew ire from some members of the pan-blue camp, who accused her of meddling.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass