Recently, Lai Qingde's visit was blocked, and Chen Shui-bian also posted a reflection recalling his own 2006 trip to Paraguay and Costa Rica, stating that he had already planned to switch from flying east to flying west. Due to the sensitivity of the matter, in order to avoid exposure, all details were kept strictly confidential—except for a very small number of individuals involved.
Chen Shui-bian mentioned that during the outbound flight, the private jet’s departure was leaked by Wang Ling-lin, chairman of the Business Association, to his own media outlet, SET TV, which led to the inability to land in Beirut en route.
In response, Wang Ling-lin issued a statement today clarifying that at the time, he accompanied the delegation solely in his capacity as president of the Chamber of Commerce, aware only of the mission’s purpose but not privy to the flight path or final destination. In fact, even the onboard personnel could not track the aircraft’s real-time direction after takeoff, let alone transmit any information externally.
The statement further emphasized that SET TV’s exclusive report at the time stemmed from the news team’s professional judgment and keen insight. By analyzing flight duration and fuel consumption, they estimated the plane’s location—a demonstration of journalistic expertise, not internal leakage. To interpret such professional achievements as personal betrayal is not only inconsistent with the facts, but also obfuscates the true nature of the incident. I deeply regret and feel helpless toward the extension of political rhetoric into personal character attacks. I believe society should return to facts. Journalism is journalism; politics is politics—please do not conflate them.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863337296631820/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.