The nation's top representative to Britain, Tien Hung-mao (
Tien, a former foreign minister, and his subordinates in the UK office have come under attack for approving the passport application of Yeh Hsiu-chen (
After a closed-door meeting with Chen at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tien, who has tendered his resignation, told reporters: "The ministry has formed a task force to investigate the case. All our office can do now is to wait for the results of the investigation and accept them."
PHOTO: CNA
"The ministry is looking into the case. I would not offer any conclusions about the investigation. I hope you [the media] will not jump to any conclusions either," he said. "The ministry will carefully examine the case."
During his 90-minute meeting with Chen, Tien said he "offered sincere answers to all the questions Chen asked," and explained all the circumstances behind the issuing of the passport to Yeh.
Chen, who emerged from the meeting with Tien by his side, praised Tien for his "courage" in offering to resign but declined to say whether the ministry would accept the resignation.
"We must first clarify who is responsible for this negligence before deciding who should go," Chen said.
The possible roles of Tien and former foreign minister Eugene Chien (
INSTRUCTIONS
Tien, who returned to Taipei late on Sunday night, said on arrival at CKS International Airport that his office had issued Yeh a passport after obtaining instructions from the central government.
An earlier incident in February last year, in which the British office issued documents granting power of attorney to a lawyer for Wang in a libel lawsuit filed against national policy advisor Hsieh Tsung-min (
Control Yuan members Ma Yi-kung (
They said the Control Yuan's special task force investigating the tainted purchase of French Lafayette-class frigates in the early 1990s will require the ministry to surrender all documents Wang supposedly signed that are held by the British office.
The issuing of those notarization papers has been described as the British office's first serious lapse. The office issued the papers to Wang on Feb. 5 last year. Wang was required to sign one of the documents in person at the office. On May 9 last year, the task force demanded the office send that document to investigators to check whether the signature was genuine.
The office provided investigators with some documents that Wang had supposedly signed but also claimed that Wang had taken the document he signed at the office away with him.
collusion
Control Yuan member and task force convenor Chao Jung-yao (
"The task force will interview Tien as well as other officials in order to find out the truth of the matter," Chao said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus leader Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) yesterday called on Premier Yu Shyi-kun to request that the Dominican Republic cancel Wang's Dominican passport.
Yu will start a 12-day trip to the Dominican Republic on Aug. 12 and attend the inauguration of president-elect Leonel Fernandez on Aug. 16. It is believed that Yu may also visit Nicaragua and Honduras, with transit stops in the US.
Chen Chien-ming made the appeal during a press conference yesterday morning. Afterwards, he visited the Control Yuan to request the government's watchdog launch an investigation into the matter.
According to Chen, Wang's Republic of China passport has expired, though he retains his Dominican Republic passport and a US green card.
additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS