The Taipei District Court yesterday began hearings in a case involving former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) daughter, Lien Hui-hsin (連惠心), who allegedly publicly insulted a Next Magazine reporter in 2013.
Lien Hui-hsin was indicted for insulting the reporter, surnamed Lee (李), by calling her a “psycho” when Lee attempted to ask Lien Hui-hsin a question about her involvement with a nutritional supplement company whose weight-loss pills were found to contain unauthorized drugs.
Lien Hui-hsin said that the case was a “misunderstanding” and alleged that Next Magazine, in an attempt to force her to settle out of court, had sent her a letter of attestation she felt was threatening.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Lien Hui-hsin appeared at the prosecutors’ office in October 2013 as part of an investigation into the Wellslim pills case and was intercepted by Lee as she was visiting the restroom during a break in the questioning.
Lee asked a question about materials printed in the magazine, but Lien allegedly muttered to herself: “What are you talking about?” and “Psycho” before walking back into the room, the office said.
Lien Hui-hsin yesterday told the court that the incident was all a misunderstanding, that she did not know Lee and had not even seen her that night.
Even if she said the word “psycho,” it was in reference to the case during a discussion with her lawyer, and not aimed at Lee personally, Lien Hui-hsin said.
Lien Hui-hsin said Next Magazine had sent letters of attestation for trumped-up charges, saying that if the Lien family did not settle out of court they would “take action” against her then-six-month-old nephew.
Lien Hui-hsin’s lawyer said that the magazine’s offer for an out-of-court settlement was NT$500,000 in reparations, as well the invalidating of an 2006 agreement — in which the magazine agreed to confirm facts with the Liens before reporting anything regarding the family.
Two reporters, surnamed Lu (呂) and Lai (賴), testified in court, but the court considered the claims tainted as both are employees of the Next Media group.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
RSS