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
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
RSS