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.
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