The indictment of first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) on corruption and forgery charges in connection with the handling of the president's state affairs fund has sent a political shockwave throughout the country.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Wu has come under fire since May over a spate of allegations ranging from political improprieties to financial irregularities.
Although last month she was cleared of any wrongdoing in connection with Sogo Department Store's controversial transfer of operational control, her indictment on corruption and forgery charges on Friday raises the issue of the first lady's place in governmental affairs.
Wu, who has charmed the public with her down-to-earth straightforwardness, was considered a political asset when Chen was elected to the presidency in 2000.
She has since turned into a liability for Chen, however, with some criticizing her for having too much influence on policy.
It is an open secret that the couple disagreed over the replacement of then Tainan County commissioner Mark Chen (
President Chen had originally planned to recruit Mark Chen to head the National Science Council.
While President Chen had wanted Mark Chen's deputy to take over the commissioners' position left vacant, Wu preferred Su Huan-chih (
Mark Chen later turned down the offer and decided to complete his term.
In a phone interview with the Taipei Times yesterday, Su said he believed Wu is innocent, taking into account Wu's family background.
Born into a well-off family in Madou (麻豆), Tainan County, in 1952, Wu did not know her life would change so dramatically after she started dating Chen in college.
Despite her family's objections, Wu married the then impoverished Chen in February 1975.
While the couple thought they would live a peaceful life with Chen practicing law, the 1979 "Kaohsiung Incident" altered their destiny and changed the course of Taiwan's democracy movement.
Wu encouraged Chen to commit himself to Taiwan's democratic development and supported his volunteering to defend Huang Hsin-chieh (
Chen Shui-bian quit his law practice to enter politics in 1981 when he was elected as a Taipei City councilor.
In 1985, Chen Shui-bian lost a Tainan County commissioner election and shortly thereafter Wu was paralyzed from the waist down after being repeatedly run over by a truck in an assassination attempt whose perpetrator was never found.
In 1986, not long after Wu was discharged from hospital and at a time when she desperately needed the support of her family, Chen Shui-bian was sentenced to a year in prison for libel for publishing an article in the pro-democracy Formosa magazine in which he claimed that later New Party lawmaker Elmer Feng's (
That same year, Wu ran in the legislative election and won. When Chen Shui-bian was released in February 1987, he served as Wu's legislative assistant until he himself was elected as a legislator in 1989.
Describing Wu as a direct, passionate and optimistic woman, DPP Legislator Lan Mei-chin (
"I'm sure she knows where to draw the line," she said.
Lan is the wife of former national policy adviser to the President Huang Tien-fu (
Lan has developed a close relationship with Wu since both of their husbands were sent to jail in 1986.
Lan said she was most impressed by Wu's courage in the face of illness.
"I remember one time after her tragic accident, she told me not to cry when I saw how she suffered," Lan said.
Former senior adviser to the president Wu Li-pei (
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we