The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of subsidizing airfares for Taiwanese Americans to travel to Taiwan in exchange for their support for the KMT in the Jan. 16 elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the DPP’s legislative caucus office yesterday morning, DPP New Taipei City Councilor Ho Po-wen (何博文) showed a Line message from a group of US-based Taiwanese supporters of KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) and said that the KMT is embroiled in vote-buying.
The message said that members of the group or other pan-blue supporters can purchase a round-trip ticket from Los Angeles to Taipei on Dec. 31 at a discounted price of US$540 on China Airlines’ Flight CI-005.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
The message said that it would be better if a party of four could reserve their seats together, adding that individual reservations could be made through a travel agent named Jenny Chang (張佳儀) at the Los Angeles-based Sonic Tour.
The message identified Chang as a KMT member.
“The airfare of US$540 converts to NT$17,784, but the regular price for a seat on China Airlines’ Flight CI-005 from Los Angeles to Taipei on Nov. 26 was NT$31,372,” Ho said. “So, the price offered by the KMT organization in Los Angeles is only about half the regular price.”
According to online travel agent Expedia.com, there are two flights from Los Angeles to Taipei operated by China Airlines on Dec. 31, priced at US$1,198.30 and US$1,335.30.
“It is hard to believe that tickets sold at a discount during the holiday season would not be subsidized by an organization and it is especially suspicious that the message asks those interested to book their flights through a travel agent who is a KMT member,” Ho said.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) called for action against vote-buying.
“The Ministry of Justice’s High Prosecutors’ Office has asked the public to report attempts to buy votes, and one of the examples it cited is ‘providing voters with a means of or payment for transportation to where they live and where they are to vote,” Chen told the news conference. “We are now informing the ministry of a potential election irregularity and I hope that the judiciary would launch an investigation.”
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