President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday dismissed speculation over the existence of a DVD alleged to show Ma and former ICRT DJ Charles Mack having intimate relations, saying the media should disregard groundless rumors.
“It’s incredible that media outlets allow themselves to be hoodwinked by such a ridiculous story. It’s a groundless rumor and there’s nothing to it,” Ma said yesterday during an interview with Era TV.
Ma made the remarks in response to an accusation in court on Monday by former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) that Special Investigation Panel Prosecutor Wu Wen-chung (吳文忠) had prevented a scandal during last year’s presidential election by suppressing the DVD.
Chen said the DVD belonged to Mack’s wife, Chang Wei-chin (張瑋津), who said she was a good friend of Chen and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍). Chen said Chang had intended to use the DVD to ruin Ma’s presidential prospects last year, but the prosecutor prevented her from publicizing it.
Ma said he and his campaign team had heard the rumor at the time, adding that “we thought it was a stupid rumor.”
“Such a rumor would lower the tone of the presidential campaign ... and I feel very sorry that it has been brought up again one year after the election,” he said.
At a separate setting yesterday, Ma’s sexual orientation was a central topic on the legislature’s “state affairs forum,” during which Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) called on Ma to come out of the closet if he is indeed gay.
When asked by reporters for comment on Thursday, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Ma’s opponent in last year’s presidential election, refused to say anything to safeguard the president’s dignity.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
Taiwan and the US have begun trade negotiations over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in an interview this morning before reporting to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US, has already established communication channels with the US Department of State and the US Trade Representative (USTR), and is engaging in intensive consultations, he said. Points of negotiation include tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and issues related to investment, procurement and export controls, he
RSS