Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) yesterday said he had nothing to hide and welcomed the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office to investigate his records.
Lee made the remarks on his way to Chiayi City to attend a Friends of Lee event yesterday. He was approached by reporters for comment on the money-laundering allegation against him.
On Friday, SIP Spokesman Chen Yun-nan (陳雲南) said his office was looking into allegations that Lee laundered more than NT$1.6 billion (US$48 million) during his time in office. In response to press inquiries, Chen said the probe was prompted by a tip-off from former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
However, one of Chen Shui-bian’s attorneys, Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳), later that day said his client had nothing to do with the probe into Lee’s financial dealings and that the rumor was “probably started by some opportunistic politicians.”
Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉), secretary-general of the Taiwan Solidarity Union, of which Lee is the spiritual leader, has urged prosecutors to clear Lee’s reputation as soon as possible by conducting a thorough investigation.
Lee served as Taiwan’s president from 1988 to 2000 and was succeeded by Chen Shui-bian, who stepped down this year.
Chen Shui-bian was indicted on Dec. 12 on charges of embezzling government funds and laundering money.
The 86-year-old Lee, described by media as sharing a father-son relationship with Chen Shui-bian, said yesterday that Chen Shui-bian was “never like a son to me.”
“It would be terrible if I had a bad son like him,” Lee said, adding that he never viewed Chen as a son. “[Chen] is trying to smear others in the hopes of whitening himself. I sleep fine at night.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
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