Pingtung County Councilor Hung Tzu-chien (洪慈綪) was yesterday released on bail, while her husband, Huang Chih-wei (黃志威), was detained incommunicado following an investigation into allegations they received kickbacks on public construction projects.
Hung, an independent, was elected councilor after she became known because her father, Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成), was killed in a fishing dispute when a Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat fired on the Kuang Ta Hsing (廣大興號).
Hung Tzu-chien and her husband allegedly received about NT$3 million (US$95,138) in kickbacks from contractors on public construction projects, Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office officials said.
Prosecutors directed police and investigators to carry out raids and summoned the couple for questioning, with Hung Tzu-chien released on NT$500,000 bail.
The corruption probe began last year following allegations of bid rigging and financial irregularity on several local projects administered by Liuchiu Township (琉球) authorities, Pingtung County officials said.
Liuchiu Township Mayor Chen Lung-chin (陳隆進) has been accused of involvement in the scheme, with prosecutors alleging that Huang acted as a “white glove,” meeting with contractors and collecting payments.
Hung Tzu-chien became a popular figure among residents for her outspoken manner in seeking justice for her father, along with her public criticism of the government’s handling of the dispute and jingoistic rhetoric against the Philippine government.
Hung had been accused of vote buying during her campaign for county councilor.
A Pingtung County resident surnamed Liao (廖) said Hung did not do much for her constituents.
The probe shows that Hung has been corrupted by power and became more concerned about money than anything else, Liao said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
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