My Hourglass

Yep, Pacers and Nuggets played their exhibition match in Taipei Arena.

Its amazing how the NBA brought the whole package here. Not just the players, but coaches, refs, dancers, mascots, statistics people, and so on. They even prepared the shot clock, and the wooden floor too.

It wasn’t a fantastic match, considering it was an exhibition game, but the players did play like a proper NBA game. At the end, the “home” team, the Indiana Pacers won, 126 to 104, over the Denver Nuggets.

I didn’t watch it live. Apparently the tickets were sold out three months ago, and sold out in three days.

Oh well, better luck next time.

陳幸妤 趙建銘 陳致中 作偽證 全招了
買內褲 吃大餐 竟謊報國務費

【綜合報導】前總統陳水扁女兒陳幸妤、女婿趙建銘、兒子陳致中，昨就國務機要費案被控偽證罪前往台北地檢署出庭，三人全都認罪，統一口徑把犯行責任推給吳淑珍，表示：「當初是受母親吳淑珍拜託才作偽證。」並請求緩起訴；陳幸妤更希望檢察官能解除她出入境留置，但檢方反而下更重處分，限制她出境，讓扁家全被限制出境，同時將追究吳淑珍教唆偽證罪責。

特偵組查出，扁一家人把國務機要費當成家務生活費使用，上從扁珍，下到外孫趙翊廷開銷，國務機要費統統照應，項目從搭飛機、吃大餐、超速罰單、內衣褲、襪子、買菜錢、水電費等一應俱全，琳琅滿目。

護衛隊粗暴護妤一向自詡自食其力養活三個小孩的陳幸妤，提供二十張、超過十七萬元的發票，她的婚紗照、演唱會門票、洗髮、女性用品都拿去報國務費。趙建銘經由汽車保養、打蠟和機票費，提供八張合計七萬餘元發票；陳致中提供三十二張發票共八萬餘元，包括內衣褲、他追求黃睿靚時開車的六張超速罰單（約一萬元），以及兩人約會上五星級飯店吃大餐，甚至訂婚、結婚部分開銷，都從國務機要費支付。
陳幸妤等三人在二○○六年間，高檢署前查黑中心檢察官陳瑞仁偵辦國務機要費案時，對用來申領國務費的發票用途，作出都是受吳淑珍委託，用來宴請或餽贈賓客、長輩等不實供述。陳瑞仁當時告知他們可保持緘默，但他們仍選擇作偽證來保護扁珍，沒想到今年初卻被吳淑珍在扁案出庭時自行爆料，戳破三人謊言，害他們被追訴偽證罪。
檢方昨分別在上午九時二十分、十時二十分及下午二時二十分，傳訊陳幸妤、趙建銘及陳致中說明。
陳幸妤出庭時，藏身在兩男三女護衛隊以雨傘構成的「傘海」中，待媒體靠近時，護衛隊就激烈推擠阻止媒體拍攝，還不時出手拍拉鏡頭，動作相當粗暴。在進入北檢大門時，護衛隊為了讓陳幸妤擠進金屬探測門，有人緊抓她手臂，害她手臂紅腫，還有人幫忙往前推，把一行人往門裡塞，卻把陳幸妤擠到披頭散髮、臉部脹紅扭曲。一名女護衛隊員不慎勒住她脖子，讓她痛得開口尖叫，說了她昨天唯一的一句話：「你勒到我脖子了啦！」

扁家全限制出境隨後出庭的趙建銘及陳致中和陳幸妤一樣都認罪說：「當初是受母親吳淑珍拜託才作偽證。」並請求檢方緩起訴；陳幸妤更希望檢察官能解除她出入境留置（須呈報檢察官同意，才可出境），但檢方反而改限制她出境。檢方不願說明理由，但據了解，應是擔心她赴美深造後不回來了。檢方此舉，讓扁家全被限制出境
檢方偵訊陳幸妤等三人後都飭回，檢察官昨不願透露如何處分陳幸妤等三人，但律師李傳侯分析：「偽證罪是七年以下本刑，不算重罪，加上是為了保護至親才說謊，又主動自白，依法可減輕或免除其刑，因此無案在身的陳幸妤很可能會獲緩起訴，但陳致中、趙建銘則可能被追加起訴，或起訴後求處免刑。」

六成民眾不原諒而陳幸妤夫婦的律師林志忠說：「我從法律面分析可能的結果後，他們夫婦倆出庭前就已決定要自白。」因此開庭約半小時就結束。北檢表示，將分案追究吳淑珍教唆偽證罪責，不排除傳喚她說明，若罪名成立，一樣可處七年以下徒刑。
針對陳幸妤等三人坦承作偽證並請求緩起訴，《蘋果》昨民調顯示，逾六成民眾認為他們一下說謊一下說實話，態度反覆不可原諒；僅逾兩成民眾原諒他們。
高雄大學政治法律系副教授廖義銘批評說：「子女掩護涉案的父母雖是人之常情，但陳致中、陳幸妤大可以拒絕作證，不該作偽證，何況這是國家元首涉貪案件，攸關國家形象與司法正義，作偽證應該加重其刑，豈能緩起訴？」
扁辦對於三人坦承作偽證換取緩起訴，表示沒有參與，不清楚。扁則透過探訪人士說：「幸妤只是例行的出庭，沒關係。」

No more A-Bien! Bye bye!

Last night Court ordered former President Chen Shui-bian held on corruption charges last night. After a long 21-hour court hearing, he was finally charged for money laundering and corruption.

Not too sure why, but I slept better last night.

Our national holiday. Happy 10/10 everyone!

I love this article.

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian could face more obstacles after his term expires following a career of challenges that saw him rise from peasant roots to become the island’s first opposition president.

As soon as his two-term, eight-year post ends on May 20, Chen could be charged with corruption, no longer protected by immunity afforded to a president.

“It may be the end of his glory days and he could very possibly face charges — the future does not look rosy for him,” said Shane Lee, an analyst and political science professor at Chang Jung University.

Chen has denied any wrongdoing.

A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Chen is viewed as a wily politician driven by passion to create a separate identity for Taiwan, an island which giant neighbor China claims as its own. Rocky relations with China dominated his first term.

China has repeatedly blasted Chen for pushing a referendum on whether to seek U.N. membership for Taiwan as a separate country. He has also been criticized by the United States for trying to upset the status quo.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. With U.N. Security Council member China recognized by 170 countries and Taiwan by just 23, there is no way Taiwan’s U.N. bid can succeed.

Chen, however, is unbowed.

“Only if China transforms into a truly democratic nation will there be hope for sustainable peace in the region,” Chen said during an international human rights forum in February.

This week, Chen called Chinese President Hu Jintao a “butcher” following the crackdown or riots in Tibet.

“AH BIAN”

Born in 1950 to a peasant family in southern Taiwan and affectionately nicknamed “Ah Bian,” Chen almost died as a baby, and his family didn’t officially register his birth until 1951.

After growing up in the southern Taiwan city of Tainan, Chen passed the bar exam with flying colors while still a student at the prestigious National Taiwan University in the early 1970s, making him one of the island’s youngest lawyers.

In his 2004 presidential re-election campaign, Chen again escaped death when he survived a controversial assassination attempt after being grazed by a bullet from a home-made gun.

Chen went on to win the election by a razor-thin margin, with the main opposition Nationalist Party (KMT), which had ruled Taiwan continuously from 1949 until Chen’s first victory in 2000, saying the attack was staged to win votes.

He cut his political teeth by battling the establishment, defending an opposition leader facing the death penalty for defying martial law by organizing a demonstration in 1979.

In 1986, he was jailed for eight months for libeling a Nationalist politician.

After his release, he joined the DPP and won a seat in parliament in 1989. Chen then won a 1994 race for Taipei mayor — one of the island’s most high-profile jobs — and got plaudits for sprucing up the congested city.

He became president in 2000, but has been dogged by numerous scandals involving aides and family members since 2004. Huge demonstrations were organized in 2006 calling for Chen to resign.

The likely corruption charges stem from suspicion of misuse of discretionary government funds. Prosecutors have not given a figure, but his wife has already been indicted on similar charges in a trial that is still in progress.

“We will indict Chen after he leaves office unless other factors or barriers intervene first,” said Chang Wen-cheng, an official in the high-court’s prosecutors office.

I cannot wait to see Ah-Bien, his wife, and his son-in-law go to jail.

On the plane coming to Melbourne, I saw this this Taiwan news listed under China section. Why? Is it because The Standard is a China newspaper?

Melbourne hasn’t changed that much since the last time I came back. There are a few new buildings, but most of the places have remained pretty much the same. I went to a Japanese grocery store and noticed they have many more flavors of Hi-Chews than the ones being sold in Taiwan.

Anyway, it is good to be with mum and dad again.