The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and several Penghu residents yesterday accused the government and judicial authorities of threatening the island’s voters to deter them from casting ballots in the Dec. 5 local elections.
At a press conference at the Legislative Yuan, several registered Penghu voters living in Taiwan proper showed a letter issued jointly by the Penghu Prosecutors’ Office, the Penghu County Police Department and the Investigation Bureau’s Penghu office advising them not to vote in the local elections if they have a household registration in Penghu but do not live in the county normally.
Officially, Penghu has a population of more than 90,000, but only just more than 50,000 people permanently live in the county. The letter was sent to around 400 Penghu residents who do not live there permanently but had recently moved their household registration back to Penghu County.
The letter states that moving one’s household registration to Penghu only to vote for a certain candidate is in violation of the Election and Recall Act of Public Servants (公職人員選舉罷免法) and is punishable by a jail term of up to five years.
“If you are involved in the situation mentioned above, please move your household registration away from Penghu or do not vote in the election, and you should be fine,” the letter said.
“What kind of country is this? What kind of government is this?” A registered Penghu voter who lives and works in Taipei asked at the press conference. “Who dares to go home after something like this?”
DPP spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said he suspected the letter was targeted against the DPP’s call for all Penghu residents to go home to vote on Dec. 5.
“The DPP supports prosecution of ‘phantom voters,’ but does not agree with the decision to send out such a letter, because it blocks people’s right to vote,” Tsai said. “We strongly condemn the move.”
Another Penghu resident, Yen Chiang-lung (顏江龍), who did not receive the letter, also condemned the letter.
“The judiciary should never send such a letter to voters unless they have solid evidence that these people are phantom voters — and I believe the majority of the 400 people who received the letter did not move their household registration back to Penghu with illegal intentions,” Yen said. “But this letter may scare them into not voting.”
In response, Penghu Chief Prosecutor Chu Kun-mao (朱坤茂) said the letter was only a “friendly reminder” with no intention to threaten anyone or target any particular political party or candidate.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
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
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS