《TAIPEI TIMES》Ex-minister apologizes for bad-mouthing mask firms

LOCAL GROUPS OUTRAGED: Lee Hong-yuan said he was repeating something he had heard from a friend when he said that the ‘national mask team’ had received kickbacks

By Liao Chia-ning, Lin Hsin-han and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

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Former minister of the interior Lee Hong-yuan （李鴻源） on Tuesday night issued a public apology for saying that the “national mask team” — local companies that were requisitioned to make masks for emergency use during the COVID-19 pandemic — received kickbacks and profited enormously.

He said he was repeating a statement he had heard from a friend.

Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua （王美花） yesterday said it was imperative that her ministry and the mask companies alleged to have received kickbacks received justice.

Appearing on a livestream with Internet celebrity Holger Chen （陳之漢） on Sept. 26, Lee said the government-appointed mask companies received a massive amount of kickbacks.

“I am sorry my statement has gone against my longstanding belief that things must be based on facts and have caused distress for all involved,” Lee wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

Lee said he would investigate further and would present the findings to the government.

Wang said the ministry would investigate whether it should launch a defamation suit against Lee.

Premier Chen Chien-jen （陳建仁） on Friday last week questioned Lee’s political motives when he made the comments, adding that the statements were pure slander.

Wang said the comments were highly inappropriate and Lee should apologize.

On Tuesday, the Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders’ Association, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry and the Taiwan Non-woven Fabrics Industry Association said that they had worked hard to increase Taiwan’s mask production from 1.88 million units daily to 20 million because they believed every mask manufactured helped ensure the public’s safety.

The centralized distribution of masks in Taiwan, which started on Jan. 31, 2021, allowed the public to pay only NT$5 per mask, compared with volatile and inflated prices in other countries, the associations said.

Had the Ministry of Economic Affairs not imposed export limitations, it would have been easy — considering Taiwan’s production capacity — to make more money by exporting masks abroad, they said

Its efforts had greatly surprised other countries, they said, adding that it was “chilling” to be accused of seeking to gain monetarily.

The associations demanded that Lee apologize and urged the public not to put stock in statements made by those with ulterior motives.

Additional reporting by CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES