In a bid to crack down on vote-buying in Saturday's Hualien County commissioner by-election, Minster of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (
Meanwhile, National Police Administration (NPA) Director-General Chang Si-liang (張四良) said police in Hualien have already reported 119 possible vote-buying cases including some involving the campaigns of all three leading candidates.
Five candidates are competing for the seat: candidate No. 1, Independent Wu Kuo-tung (
Polls give Hsieh a comfortable lead over his two main rivals, Wu and You.
At a public security meeting in Hualien, Yu said he has transferred 464 police from Taipei and Kaohsiung cities to tackle vote-buying cases. The police will conduct frequent checks and searches 24 hours a day.
However, Yu's plan was immediately attacked by the opposition camp.
"The DPP is turning Hualien County into a police county," KMT Spokesman Alex Tsai (
In response to the criticism, Chang said the NPA will maintain its neutrality during the crackdown.
The police head also said that of the 119 vote-buying cases being dealt with by authorities, supporters of Hsieh, You and Wu are involved in at least some of them. According to Chang, local prosecutors are currently investigating these cases.
However, Chang's remarks were criticized as violating the "non-disclosure principle" of an ongoing investigation.
"The claim [of the possible cases] is bullshit!" said Yang Ta-chih (
The chief prosecutor also condemned the Ministry of the Interior and the NPA for constantly interfering with local prosecutors' investigations.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
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