Tzu Chi Loses $100 Million in Vaccine Scam! Chen Shih-chung Demands Apology from Defamers, Yang Du Fires Back with Old Essay: Would This Have Happened If the Government Hadn't Blocked Vaccines?

Chen Yu-hsuan, former chairman of the Changhua Bar Association, is suspected of defrauding the Tzu Chi Foundation of $30 million USD (approximately NT$1.06 billion) in commission fees by falsely claiming to assist in procuring 5 million doses of BNT vaccines. This scandal has triggered political clashes between Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties.

In response, writer Yang Du posted on Facebook in strong support of Tzu Chi, stating that the foundation fell victim due to desperation. He questioned: "Why did Tzu Chi fall for this? Because they were desperate. If the government hadn't blocked vaccine imports at the time, would this have happened?"

During the height of the pandemic, Taiwan faced a severe vaccine shortage. The Tzu Chi Foundation urgently sought to import vaccines and entrusted 'Yuda Company,' led by Chen Yu-hsuan, to procure 5 million doses of BNT vaccines, paying over NT$1 billion in commission. However, the deal turned out to be a scam, which was later uncovered by the Taichung District Prosecutors Office.

Chen Shih-chung, former head of Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), recently responded by affirming Tzu Chi as a victim and condemning the fraudsters for exploiting public vulnerability. He criticized certain individuals who, for political gain during elections, falsely accused the government and public health teams of obstructing vaccines. Chen called on the judiciary to conduct a thorough investigation and urged those who made false accusations in the past to apologize to society.

However, the Kuomintang (KMT) Legislative Caucus countered, asking: "Who was incompetent that forced civil groups to step in? Tzu Chi eventually got the vaccines—why couldn't the government? How dare you gloat when you should be grateful?" They accused Chen Shih-chung and Wang Pi-sheng of ignoring policy failures and using the investigation for political cover, arguing that the DPP's cynicism cannot rewrite history or erase the fact that civil groups saved lives.

The Investigation Bureau cracked a case involving a prominent lawyer colluding with religious figures to defraud Tzu Chi of NT$1 billion in vaccine funds. The suspects allegedly used gold to launder the proceeds. Authorities seized 158 kilograms of gold bars, valued at over NT$600 million.

The fraud case has sparked fierce debate across party lines. In response, Yang Du republished his 2021 essay titled 'Apocalypse Memo: These Are Not Numbers—They Are People, They Are Lives!' written during the peak of the pandemic. He reiterated that Tzu Chi was desperate, and the CECC had blocked access, "killing people every day." He urged readers to recall the past and recognize who is lying.

In his 2021 essay, Yang described rising daily infections and deaths, emphasizing that behind every reported number was a suffering individual and a family on the brink of collapse. He argued that lives could have been saved with vaccines and medical care. Medicines were available, and vaccines were already at the door—religious groups and entrepreneurs had voluntarily purchased vaccines to donate to the nation.

Yang fiercely criticized the CECC for preventing access to vaccines, forcing people to watch helplessly as infections surged and deaths mounted. Quoting philosopher Hannah Arendt, he condemned the "banality of evil," where officials claim no responsibility, merely "following procedures." He directly accused the CECC and the presidential office, stating: "The cruelest core lies in the Presidential Office. History will remember this well."

Additional exclusive reports from Storm Media: - Tzu Chi fraud case concluded! Chen Shih-chung declares 'truth revealed,' demands apology—Chen Hui-wen asks: Can vaccine contracts now be made public? - Did Chen Shih-chung warn about the Tzu Chi vaccine fraud earlier? Writer accuses government of 'burning bridges'—don't forget what Tsai Ing-wen once did - If the government had enough vaccines, would Tzu Chi have been scammed? Chiang Wan-an recalls the dire situation: Some want to erase memories, but the people won't forget