The Executive Yuan yesterday said than a criminal investigation had been launched into a group of pan-blue lawmakers who led supporters on a violent rampage outside the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday night.
People First Party (PFP) legislators, including Lee Ching-hua (
The protesters shouted, "Truth unclear, suspend declaration; down with the commission," and smashed windows at the entrance before forcing their way inside. They also threw rocks and eggs and scuffled with police.
PFP Legislator Fu Kun-chi (
"The lawmakers who led the crowd to break into the CEC yesterday to attempt to stop the official announcement of the winners of the election have broken the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) and the Criminal Code. The judiciary has finished gathering evidence and has started to investigate the case," Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
Lin said that Premier Yu Shyi-kun had instructed the judiciary to investigate the incident yesterday.
Lin said that the damage to CEC property and threat to civil servants who were carrying out their duties yesterday was a violation of the Criminal Code, and that lawbreakers could be sentenced up to three years.
"Some pan-blue legislators broke the law intentionally and gathered a crowd to cause a riot. This is a wrong example for democracy and everything will be investigated according to the law," Lin said.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also set up a special task force, headed by the premier, to deal with the pan-blue's mass demonstration yesterday.
Yu said that the administration should monitor the demonstration closely, and that there was no space for China's intervention in Taiwan's domestic affairs.
He also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to keep in close contact with the US and Japan, and to hold international press conferences whenever necessary.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
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