The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of buying votes in Greater Taichung by treating voters to free shows, meals and other activities.
Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁), DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) chief campaign manager, told a press conference that Greater Taichung’s Shihgang (石岡) District Office applied for and was granted NT$700,000 (US$23,000) from the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency to conduct “education training.”
However, those funds were instead used to treat Shihgang residents to entertainment and food, while the KMT asked them to support President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and KMT Greater Taichung legislative candidate Johnny Chiang’s (江啟臣) election campaigns, Wu said.
Wu released footage, dated Dec. 8, showing a number of elders from Shihgang traveling in five buses being treated to a song and dance performance in a showroom in Fongyuan District (豐原).
After the show, 20 tables were set up and the room became a restaurant. In the footage, the guests are treated to a meal during which Shihgang District Office Administrator Wang Wei-cheng (王偉誠), who was in charge of the event, spoke on the stage and hinted that if his office got more funding next year, the residents would be treated better.
Wu said Wang and officials from the KMT’s Greater Taichung branch then went around every table to give a toast and asked the elders to support Ma and Chiang in the elections.
Wu added that the DPP had received complaints since early this month that the KMT has been conducting such activities in 10 districts in Greater Taichung that, Wu said, were definitely acts of vote buying.
In Shihgang, 1,085 people were treated to five activities and nearly NT$700,000 in public money was spent, Wu said.
In response, Chiang said at a separate setting that he was invited to give a speech on stage. Saying there was no vote-buying, the legislative candidate called on his electoral opponents not to resort to a smear campaign.
Additional reporting by staff writer
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS