Two days before Taiwan heads to the polls, there were 3,287 cases of election obstruction under investigation, including 117 involving outside Chinese interference, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office data showed on Friday.
As of Thursday, 3,548 people were under investigation in 3,287 cases, resulting in 46 detentions and 93 indictments of 76 people, the office said.
The amount of money seized from election betting, bribery and other illegal proceeds totaled more than NT$45.11 million (US$1.45 million), setting a new record, it said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Election betting was the most common form of interference with 1,284 people under investigation in 1,430 cases, it said, adding that unlike traditional gambling, use of cryptocurrencies with obscure betting pools has become more common.
There were 353 cases of attempting to obstruct an election through false information with 335 people under investigation, including cases involving foreign online influence operations, the office said.
Many types of foreign interference have emerged this election cycle, including 287 people suspected of contravening the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) in 117 cases, it said.
The first person charged under the act this election cycle was China Pan-Blue Association member Chen Chih-cheng (鄭志成) on suspicion of recruiting people for sponsored tours to China in an indictment handed down on Dec. 25.
There was also the first suspected case of a candidate accepting payment via cryptocurrency from China, with a court approving the detention of former Taiwan People’s Party Taoyuan chapter spokeswoman Ma Chih-wei (馬治薇) for allegedly receiving thousands of US dollars in tether and cash.
Additional reporting by CNA
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS