Dec. 1 elections: Crusader tackles vote buying one violation at a time

Three years ago, Tsai collected his biggest reward ever -- NT$2.5 million -- after his tip sent Taichung county commissioner candidate Kuo Jung-cheng (郭榮振) to jail on vote-fraud charges. Though Kuo appealed and was later acquitted, Tsai and his partner were still able to pocket the money.

"The first trial's conviction enabled my secretary and me to collect NT$1.25 million each, which didn't have to be returned [to the government] even after he [Kuo] was acquitted following his recent appeal," Tsai said.

Tsai is frequently invited to give lectures on his crusade and has started taking on apprentices. Encouraging all to follow his act, Tsai said that he has never "received any threatening calls or encountered any danger" in his 12-year crusade. "Don't be afraid. The bad guys don't dare harm you," he said.

Fulfilling his duties as spokesman of the Cabinet's anti-vote-buying campaign, Tsai urged all voters to reject vote-buying and shared advice on reporting misconduct.

"Put the money in an envelope and hand the envelope over to the prosecutors, who will collect fingerprints on the money and then nail the guilty. It's as simple as that," he said.

Tsai also suggested that would-be fraud-busters collect as much evidence as possible by taking pictures or using their video cameras to record evidence.

Emphasizing the lucrative rewards for informants, Tsai said people can get "NT$5 million and NT$10 million for information leading to the conviction of candidates involved in vote-buying in county commissioner races and legislative elections, respectively."

Anyone with information regarding suspected election fraud can contact the Ministry of Justice's 24-hour hotline at 0800-024-099.