Chiao Cheng-chung (喬正中), director of Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) presidential campaign office, was yesterday summoned by the Special Investigation Division (SID) of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in the ongoing probe over the replacement of Hung as the KMT’s presidential candidate.
Chiao was summoned as a witness, the SID said.
Separately yesterday, the SID also summoned Hung adviser and speech writer Ko Ming-hsiu (柯明秀) for questioning regarding Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei’s (陳亭妃) allegation that two individuals had attended a meeting between KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Hung, in which Chu allegedly either pressured or enticed Hung to drop her candidacy.
Chen claimed the “two individuals” possessed an audio recording of that meeting.
The investigation also aims to clarify the allegation that Chu offered a payment of NT$30 million (US$917,824) to Hung as financial inducement in exchange for her quitting the race, which allowed the KMT to convene a party congress on Oct. 17 to nominate Chu to replace Hung as the party’s candidate.
Chen and Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安), took legal action against Chu and KMT Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) earlier this month, accusing the two of so inn a teng (搓圓仔湯), a commonly used Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese) term that means “kneading to make rice ball soup.”
When used in a political context, the term means schemes involving the coaxing of a candidate to drop out of a race by offering money, a government position or other enticements.
However, such actions are a violation of Article 84 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), which stipulates that “anyone who asks for an expected promise or asks a candidate or a person having the qualification of candidate to abandon the campaign or conduct certain actions by offering bribes or other undue benefits” is punishable by law.
On Oct. 21, the SID separately summoned Chu, Lee and Hung for questioning in the matter.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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