Shih Ming-teh (施明德), who initiated a campaign in 2006 calling on then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to step down, yesterday said he would press charges against four individuals and a media outlet for accusing him of pocketing leftover funds from the campaign.
A total of NT$111 million (US$3.26 million) was donated to the campaign, which he launched in August 2006.
At the time, Shih called on the public to donate NT$100 each to support the campaign against corruption.
The campaign’s deputy, Yao Li-min (姚立明), told a press conference yesterday that the leftover campaign funds were donated to five charity groups, including the Eden Social Welfare Foundation, the Genesis Foundation and the United Way of Taiwan, adding that two other independent organizations had overseen the donation process.
He offered no further details.
Shih said a defamation lawsuit was necessary to protect his reputation.
He said he would file the charges against former presidential adviser Ellen Huang (黃越綏), Tainan City Councilor Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), Chthonic lead vocalist Freddy Lim (林昶佐), Control Yuan member Chien Lin Hui-chien (錢林慧君) and Scoop Weekly magazine.
Shih said he would seek NT$10 million in damages from each of the four individuals and NT$20 million from the magazine as well as a half-page apology to be published in four major newspapers.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
Drinking a lot of water or milk would not help a person who has ingested terbufos, a toxic chemical that has been identified as the likely cause of three deaths, a health expert said yesterday. An 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) and two others died this week after eating millet dumplings with snails that Tseng had made. Tseng died on Tuesday and others ate the leftovers when they went to her home to mourn her death that evening. Twelve people became ill after eating the dumplings following Tseng’s death. Their symptoms included vomiting and convulsions. Six were hospitalized, with two of them
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the
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