Security for the year-end local elections and cross-strait talks in December in Taichung City will be the priorities for the National Police Agency (NPA), Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said yesterday.
“Ensuring year-end local elections run smoothly is a priority for the police force,” Jiang told police officials during a meeting on public security at the NPA. “It not only means that officers should work closely with prosecutors and investigators on cracking down on election irregularities, but also means that police agencies must guarantee the personal safety of all candidates.”
Jiang’s remarks came one day after a woman in Changhua County claimed she was sexually assaulted and threatened so she would not run for the county councilor seat in the year-end elections.
The woman, who has remained anonymous, said she had planned to run in December but a man surnamed Hung (洪) sexually violated her and took pictures of her naked, threatening to publicize the nude photos if she registered to run for the councilor’s seat in the year-end elections.
She also claimed that Hung told her to buy back the pictures for NT$1 million (US$30,700) if she insisted on running in the election.
Hung denied the accusation, but has been indicted for the threats and violating the Election and Recall Act of Public Servants (公職人員選舉罷免法).
Meanwhile, Jiang also asked the police to make sure that December’s meeting between Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) runs smoothly.
“But [the NPA] also needs to make sure that civil rights and the public’s freedom are respected,” he said.
When Chen visited Taiwan in November last year for talks with Chiang, massive demonstrations followed Chen, leading to serious clashes between demonstrators and police.
Protestors accused the government of violating freedom of expression, as police officers would not allow the display of certain slogans or even the Republic of China flag near Chen.
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