Monday, August 25, 2008

Formosa Foundation Responds to Chiu Yi

Over the last few years legislator Chiu Yi of the KMT has been making all sorts of allegations about the Chen family and the DPP and associated organizations, the vast majority of which have turned out to be false (Chiu Yi is described in detail in this great post on Wandering to Tamshui). Chiu Yi routinely gets sued and just as routinely loses (see here the most recent example). As the self-appointed attack dog of the KMT, Chiu Yi has been out and about hacking on Green institutions, one of which is the Formosa Foundation, a foundation dedicated to the advancement of human rights, democracy, and self-determination for Taiwan. He claimed that Chen Shui-bian had laundered money through the foundation. This morning Terri Giles, the Executive Director, was kind enough to provide me with the Foundation's response:

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Political Lies Masquerading as Truth
Convicted Slanderer Chiu Yi is Back in Business

It seems the muckraking tradition is alive and well in Taiwan. Taiwan legislator Chiu Yi of the KMT recently held a press conference in Taiwan where he wrongly accused the Formosa Foundation and its honorary chairman Li Pei Wu of being involved in alleged money laundering of which former president Chen Shui-bian and his family have been accused. This claim is completely untrue and an absolute fabrication by Chiu.

In a desperate act to vilify the Formosa Foundation, and the important work that the organization has done promoting Taiwan's democracy, Chui has created a false controversy. It is a matter of public record that this legislator has previously been sued for, and found guilty of, slander. In fact, Chiu has served jail time as a result of his slanderous comments and has a history of making unfounded allegations smearing innocent people and organizations. Now he has targeted the Formosa Foundation for his unfounded and outrageous allegations in an effort to promote his political agenda while we are forced to defend our reputation from these baseless attacks. Chiu's behavior should be unacceptable to all Taiwanese and Americans.

We urge Chinese - language and English - language media to check facts before reporting any of Chiu's allegations as truth. The Formosa Foundation, a Los Angeles based non-profit organization, has spent years working to educate the American public about the importance of supporting Taiwan's democracy. The organization has a hard won and well deserved reputation as an honest and effective advocate. Each year the Formosa Foundation trains students to become activists for democracy.

The Foundation has made a tremendous difference in the way Congress and the American public view Taiwan and should be supported rather than the victim of vicious lies.

Democracy, the old American saying goes, is a contact sport. You expect vigorous give-and-take, and you allow for a certain amount of rhetorical spin. But blatant lies and smears are an attempt to undermine democracy. No one should tolerate politics based on fabricating allegations with complete disregard for the truth. The Formosa Foundation demands that Chiu halt his slanderous comments and call upon the media to act responsibly in publishing such falsehoods.

Terri Giles, Executive Director
Formosa Foundation

Based in Los Angeles, CA, the Formosa Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting greater understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and the United States, and preserving and enhancing democracy, human rights and freedom for the people of Taiwan.

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The Formosa Foundation is a important non-profit organization that has done great work on behalf of Taiwan. If you have a few spare pennies drop them in their donations box....

13 comments:

skiingkow said...

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I will always remember the brave Chiu Yi standing on top of a campaign truck with a megaphone ordering the driver to run over a few policemen that were guarding a gate during the election aftermath of 2004. They almost did it, too.

How can anyone take this sociopath seriously?
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Anonymous said...

Chiu Yi is Taiwan's turd blossom. A worthless P.O.S. that is not worth commenting on.

How the KMT could give him one of the free LY at large seats is dumbfounding.

Tommy said...

"How the KMT could give him one of the free LY at large seats is dumbfounding."

You assume the KMT cares about integrity further than what it takes to put on a show.

Anonymous said...

The title seems incorrect. Chiu Yi, not Chiu Yu.

Anonymous said...

I don't know too much about the good works of the Formosa Foundation, but I have several friends who used to work for General Bank that Formosa Foundation founder and Chairman Wu Li-Pei was CEO of. GB collapsed as a result of a couple of spectacular loan defaults under Wu Li-Pei's watch. Shortly after GB was taken over by Cathay Bank, Wu Li-Pei went back to Taiwan to become banking advisor to Chen Shui Bian. I attened Wu Li-Pei's going away banquet at the Pacific Palms Conference Resort in the summer of 2004 and I can attest that there were plenty of former GB officers present who were not sad to see Wu go.

The point I'm trying to make, Michael, is we should all just wait for the investigators to do their jobs before we decide who is right and who is wrong or to ask for money for Wu Li-Pei's organization. Yes, Chu Yi has a history of recklessness, but Chen has already admitted to some questionable banking transactions and his banking advisor was in fact Wu Li-Pei.

corey said...

Well, Anonymous, it is all well and good to point out that Chen and company have engaged in some questionable banking practices, but to allow that to give Chiu Yi automatic legitimacy is ludicrous.

I'm not just saying this because of my obvious bias toward Taiwan, or my familiarity with this blog, but also as someone who has had some connection with the Formosa Foundation. If you knew the people within the foundation and worked with them, the thought of questionable dealings wouldn't even cross your mind. I was in the Student Ambassador Program, and time and time again it was drilled into our heads that we were there to support Taiwanese democracy and human rights...not to support the Pan-Green Coalition necessarily, but to help the advancement of Taiwan in the international scene. Looking at the career of Terri Giles, and noting the company she keeps within the foundation, it is unimaginable that they would commit to/help with such an activity as money laundering.

Anonymous, your post basically points to us jumping to conclusions and taking sides based upon personal beliefs, but I think to give credibility to this situation, the accusation should come from someone who does not have such a record as Chiu Yi does. He has been known to cry wolf, a.k.a. lie, for self/party benefit.

I would ask you to take his comments on this subject, and not those of Terri Giles or Michael Turton, with a grain of salt.

corey said...

Also, the organization is non-profit, so helping them with funding is basically what Michael was suggesting. The Formosa Foundation has been a proponent for Taiwan, and has been an organization trying to get Taiwan noticed and recognized more internationally...

why wouldn't we want to help such an organization?

Anonymous said...

If one has someting truthful to say there is no need to sign "anonymous". If one has something negative and hurtful to say about someone else and signs "anonymous", watch out! I would not cosider it worthy of my comment.

Paul Ding

Anonymous said...

I would like Formosa Foundation to sue Chiu Yi for libel! That's all.

Amy Lin said...

As someone who was intimately involved with the GB-Cathay merger in 2003, I would like to state for the record that General Bank did not collapse nor was it on the brink of collapse prior to the merger. With Li-Pei Wu's scheduled retirement at the end of 2002, many shareholders were concerned with the future prospect of GB and urged management to seek merger partners. The result was the merger with Cathay Bank, whose holding company was renamed Cathay General after the transaction.

Why would people pay their own way to attend a farewell party if they are not sad to see him go?

Anonymous said...

I wonder why so many people are so eager to believe the words of a convicted criminal...?

Anonymous said...

10/10/2008 Mr. Li-pei Wu admitted he received U.S. $1.91 million in his 4 accounts wired by Chen Shui-bian.

Anonymous said...

Whenever Chiu Yi slandered someone or led social unrest in any riot, he should be sued /arrested, tried, sentenced under Taiwanese law. The legal process applies to Chiu Yi no more and no less.

It is not about Chiu Yi in this case that money (U.S.$1.9 million) did change hands between Chen Shui-bian and Li-pei Wu.