Changhua District prosecutors charged a man yesterday with extortion, assault and other charges in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a woman in a bid to deter her from running in a county councilor election.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) reported yesterday that a woman was tricked by a man into going to a motel, where she was sexually assaulted and photographs were taken of her naked.
The man had reportedly worked on several election campaigns, across party lines.
The man allegedly threatened to release the photographs and further harm the woman if she did not back out of the county election.
The victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous, at first insisted on submitting her candidate application, but finally backed out after receiving repeated threats that she would be physically injured if she didn’t withdraw.
The Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office identified the suspect only by his surname, Hung (洪).
His alleged victim was rumored to be a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), although prosecutors have declined to confirm this.
Prosecutors have requested a prison sentence of two years and six months for Hung.
Hung reportedly said that his actions did not constitute sexual assault because “the feeling had been mutual.” He also denied he was working for a rival politician.
However, he reportedly admitted to taking nude photographs of the woman and “discouraging” her from running in the election.
The prosecutors said they notified local police to boost surveillance of illegal activities in the area to prevent more politically motivated crimes.
Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) was questioned by lawmakers about the case during yesterday’s meeting of the Internal Administration Committee. The case was regrettable, Jiang said, and he would instruct the National Police Agency to investigate the incident.
Violence will not be tolerated either in campaigning or in the December elections, he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
More than 8,000 people took part in a rally in Taipei yesterday to express support for more defense spending, after the opposition slashed the Cabinet’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget and capped it at NT$780 billion. The demonstrators urged the Cabinet to propose another bill. Taiwan Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said the main problem of the passed budget plan is the removal of funding for critical items, not just that the total amount is smaller. Critical budget items included purchasing or developing uncrewed vehicles, Strong Bow (強弓) missile systems, additional ammunition, artificial intelligence-powered combat systems and Taiwan-US
RSS