National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起) admitted in a recent interview with a political talk show host that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) did consult the council prior to sending a cable to all overseas representative offices and embassies instructing them to reject foreign aid in the early days after Typhoon Morakot struck.
However, Su said he did not know about the document because the phone call was answered by office manager Huang Chien-liang (黃健良). Su made the comments in an interview on Thursday with Lee Tao (李濤), the host of TVBS’ talk show 2100 Quan Min Kai Jiang.
The foreign ministry has been heavily criticized for rejecting foreign help. Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) was away on business when the cable was issued. On Aug. 17, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Hsia (夏立言) tendered his resignation to take responsibility for declining international assistance.
On Thursday, Ou also offered to step down. On the same day, in the talk show interview with Lee, Su acknowledged that MOFA contacted the NSC, but insisted that it was Huang who spoke to the ministry.
Some critics have accused Su of being the real culprit behind the document. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said any important communication, such as those regarding foreign aid, must obtain approval from high-ranking government official.
MOFA did not have the right or the audacity to issue this kind of cable on its own, said Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), former Presidential Official deputy secretary-general under the DPP government.
The DPP has repeatedly called on Su to disclose the details of the communication between the NSC and MOFA during those days.
Su, however, has maintained that he had nothing to do with the document.
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) lambasted Su and the government, saying they had told multiple lies to cover their mistakes. He said all evidence pointed to Su as the man behind the cable.
Tsai said Hsia took the fall for the Presidential Office and Executive Yuan. Ou even blamed the National Fire Agency, he said.
The DPP also said the day after the cable was issued, Su met with the upper management of the China Times for a meal. The DPP accused Su of taking the opportunity to develop rapport with China.
Su’s staffer confirmed the rendezvous, but refused to disclose any details of the meeting
Tsai said MOFA issued the cable, categorized as “extremely urgent,” on Aug. 11. The following day, news of the cable spread all over the Internet, but the ministry continued to deny its existence until a newspaper published the document.
Tsai called the government a pathological liar and said someone as cold-hearted and arrogant as Su should have stepped down long ago.
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
‘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
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
RSS