Prosecutors said they were looking into reports that staff working for Republican Party Hsinchu County commissioner candidate Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩) handed people white rice in an alleged attempt to buy votes.
Hsu and her campaign staff have been accused of handing out 3kg sacks of rice at charity events organized by local temples that read: “We thank Hsinchu County commissioner candidate Hsu Hsin-ying for this donation.”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials yesterday urged the judiciary not to sit idle and demanded an investigation, saying that there was clear evidence and witnesses had come forward.
Photo: CNA
“People have told us that Hsu’s campaign has been handing out rice since July. It is a clear attempt to buy votes,” DPP Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) said.
“Hsu made use of charity events to distribute rice to impoverished families in the name of kindness and generosity, but she obviously did so to get elected, which is in violation of election laws,” Chou said.
More than 1,000 families had received donations, DPP officials said, adding that they were worth more than NT$100 per bag, more than the NT$30 legal limit on campaign gifts.
Hsu has previously campaigned for county councilor, legislator and the presidential ticket, DPP Hsinchu County commissioner candidate Cheng Chao-fang (鄭朝方) said.
“She is experienced in elections, so she is fully aware of what constitutes vote-buying and other election violations,” Cheng said.
Hsu denied all allegations of vote-buying.
“The rice was given out as alms to poor families, it had nothing to do with the election,” Hsu said. “Our office was asked to sponsor the event, so we helped a charitable organization, but not financially.”
In other developments, prosecutors yesterday detained four people suspected of election violations after serving summonses to question 78 people in connection with alleged cash-for-vote incidents in four Hsinchu County townships.
In Hualien County, judicial officials said they were investigating 165 reports of vote-buying in more than half of the county’s townships, had sufficient evidence to launch a probe in 29 of the cases and had eight people in custody pending charges.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office has continued its investigation into allegations of forged signatures in recall efforts today by searching the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) city chapter and questioning several personnel including the chapter director, according to media reports. Among those questioned and detained were KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), chapter secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿), chapter secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文) and first district committee executive director Tseng Fan-chuan (曾繁川). Prosecutors said they would not confirm reports about who had been summoned. The investigation centers on allegations that the ongoing recall campaigns targeting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤)
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed