United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠) yesterday said the Chinese Ministry of State Security was behind a smear campaign to suggest he had an extramarital affair, adding that Beijing is working through proxies to interfere in Taiwan’s elections and recall processes.
Tsao said he has come under attack since he spearheaded a recall movement to oust Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers, including leading a petition drive to recall KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯).
He wrote online that the Chinese government and the state security agency was circulating doctored images of him with a young woman and was collaborating with political commentator Hsieh Han-ping (謝寒冰) to accuse Tsao of having an extramarital affair in 2015, while working in China.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Tsao offered a NT$10 million (US$305,717) reward for anyone providing information leading to the arrest of leaders or organizers of the Chinese ministry’s networks and to crack down on their subversive activities in Taiwan.
He said someone from the US told him the Chinese agency planned the smear campaign, as the accusations and circulation of the image followed China’s “united front” tactics and propaganda strategies.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) has asked national security agencies to investigate the case.
DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said the Chinese government was seeking to interfere in Taiwan’s elections.
“Our society must establish strong defense mechanisms, to fight against these Chinese proxies and hostile forces, knowing their pro-China propaganda and tactics would escalate in scope and intensity. We urge people not to back down, but to stand up with courage and resolutely support Taiwan, to defend our democracy and freedom,” Wu said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS