Staff reporter
The Ministry of Justice said yesterday it was considering whether or not a county commissioner's decision to reward villages that have a high turnout in the March 22 presidential election constitutes vote-buying.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) recently said that any village that has more than a 75 percent turnout for the presidential vote would be rewarded with a NT$1 million (US$32,600) construction fund.
The KMT has traditionally enjoyed good support in the county.
"Isn't this a form of vote buying?" Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) asked ministry officials during a meeting of the Judiciary Committee at the legislature yesterday.
Wong said Liu may have violated the law or government regulations because he made the offer while also serving as a chief campaigner for KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
Deputy Justice Minister Kuo Lin-yung (郭林勇) said that it was legal for a local official to encourage residents to turn out and vote, but if Liu suggested voting for a certain candidate he would have violated the law.
Kuo said the ministry would investigate Liu's policy and his remarks before deciding whether or not it was legal.
He said a conclusion would be reached within three days.
KMT Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said the ministry should clear the matter up as soon as possible because Taipei County and Taichung County were considering following Miaoli County's lead.
Hsieh said that if Liu were found to have violated the law or election regulations, then Premier Chang Chun-hsiung's (張俊雄) decision that toll stations on freeways should not collect fees on election day should also be investigated.
Chang said that providing toll-free services on freeways on election day would persuade more people to travel home to cast their ballot.
Kuo said Chang's policy was legal because it does not favor either candidate.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese