Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) deputy legislative caucus whip Wang Shu-hui (
Conflict arose earlier this week between Kaohsiung Country Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (
Yang claimed that Fan's husband, Chang Fu-chung (
Yang said he had received a phone call from Fan saying that the ministry would provide NT$1 million (US$30,000) in subsidies for the construction of the building if the ministry was allowed to appoint the architects.
Yang said that he had agreed to receive subsidies from the ministry but as a result, the finished building was ugly and unsatisfactory.
The principal, students and teachers at the school also thought that the building was ugly and spoiled the scenery, Yang added.
Fan held a press conference on Friday denying Yang's allegations, and insisting that she and her husband had never interfered in the process of selecting an architect for the building.
Wang said that Yang and Fan are both exceptional talents in the DPP and that she was sure they would communicate.
Premier Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh added that similar accusations had been leveled in the past against Fan and her husband, but that investigations had not uncovered any illegal activities.
In order to assure the neutrality of the investigation process, Hsieh said the ethics office would head the process instead of letting the ministry conduct its own probe.
Meanwhile, the ministry said that the architect for the new school building was selected using a fair process.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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