Supporters of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate for the Yunlin legislative by-election have received threatening phone calls, his office said yesterday, and police have been informed.
Kung Hsing-sheng (龔興生), secretary-general of candidate Chang Ken-hui’s (張艮輝) office reportedly received a cellphone call at 9:25pm on Sunday night from someone who threatened to “kill his whole family” if he continued to support Chang.
The police said they would investigate the complaint.
The alleged threat came on the heels of the detention of a borough warden on Sunday on suspicion of buying votes for Chang.
Prosecutors and investigators said they have questioned 18 people, including Dounan Township (斗南) warden and borough wardens, with 11 borough wardens admitting that they received NT$1,000 apiece to support Chang.
His office has denied the allegation, which it blamed on his rival, independent candidate Chang Hui-yuan (張輝元).
The by-election is needed to fill the seat left vacant by Chang Hui-yuan’s son, Chang Sho-wen (張碩文), who won the seat in January last year, but lost it this year after the High Court found him guilty of being part of in a vote-buying scheme organized by his father.
Chang Hui-yuan, who was found guilty of vote buying in the first trial, wanted to run as the KMT candidate in the election, but the party rejected his registration because its “black-gold exclusion clause” bars members found guilty of corruption in their first trial from standing for public office.
Chang Sho-wen filed a defamation lawsuit against Kung at the Yunlin Prosecutors’ Office yesterday, accusing him of making groundless vote-buying allegations.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) urged prosecutors to handle the case impartially.
Saying the allegation was just the tip of the iceberg, DPP spokesman Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) called on President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who takes over the KMT chairmanship next month, to make his position known on the matter.
Meanwhile, the KMT said that it would choose its candidate for the Nantou legislative by-election via a telephone poll.
The decision was made yesterday afternoon during a meeting chaired by KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏). The poll will be conducted between Oct. 2 and Oct. 4 and the candidate will be announced on Oct. 5.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
Taipei resident Mu Chu-hua caught some glimpses of China’s mighty military parade on YouTube on Wednesday. As she watched hypersonic missiles roll down Beijing’s Changan Avenue and troops march in lockstep, she did not feel like they posed a threat to Taiwan. Mu, a 69-year-old retiree, said she saw the parade as simply a way for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to “say thank you to the troops.” “I thought it was quite normal,” she said. “It was very cool.” China’s military parade commemorating the end of World War II was being watched internationally for insights into Beijing’s military advances and its show
RSS