Independent legislator Lo Fu-chu (
Lo filed a libel suit against DPP legislators Lee Wen-chung (
At a press conference on Saturday, the two DPP legislators had accused Lo of sending an army of gangsters to Yunlin County to help independent candidate Chang Jung-wei's (
Lo's men entered the county on 20 chartered tour buses, the DPP legislators said.
Lo is the self-proclaimed "spiritual leader" of one of Taiwan's major crime syndicates -- the Tientao Alliance (
The DPP legislators also said independent candidate Chang is involved in Lo's crime syndicate.
Yesterday, Lo called the accusations groundless and warned the two legislators that they could be jailed for their words, citing the fact that independent legislator Liao Hsueh-kuang (
DPP legislator Lee responded yesterday by calling Lo's legal action much more "civilized" than his previous behavior.
Lo has been accused of various reprisals against his political enemies. One of his bodyguards has been convicted for dragging independent legislator Liao out of his bed in the middle of the night and locking him in an abandoned dog kennel in Taipei County.
Chang, who had led in polls before the 921 earthquake, has fallen to third place after being linked to a construction company that built some buildings that collapsed in the earthquake, allegedly because of sub-standard construction.
DPP candidate Lin Chung-li (
The by-election was originally scheduled to be held Oct. 16, but was postponed to Nov. 6 due to the Sept. 21 earthquake. Some analysts have said the result could sway the outcome of the March presidential election.
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
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