Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said that she believes in the impartiality of the justice system, a day after being identified as a suspect in a corruption investigation.
“I have the support from Yilan residents, and we are all working hard,” she told reporters at an agriculture fair in the county’s Sansing Township (三星), after she was asked how the probe was affecting her. “I believe the justice system is impartial, so we will continue to do our jobs.”
The Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday listed Lin among a group of officials being investigated about urban renewal and property development projects in the county that have been linked to financial irregularities and suspected illegal activities.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
Lin and Luodong Township (羅東) Mayor Wu Chiu-ling (吳秋齡) were released on Friday after questioning, following searches and after receiving summonses the day before, while two county government officials were detained and others were released on bail.
Yilan County Councilor Chen Chun-yu (陳俊宇), convener of the council’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus, said that the investigation was the largest in the county’s history, with investigators searching more than 30 locations, including county government offices and private residences.
“Yilan County residents feel shame over what has taken place,” he said. “It seems that it is not just a simple case, so we ask the commissioner to explain the allegations.”
People want to know what has gone on under the three years of Lin’s administration, he said.
Yilan County Councilor Lin Li (林麗) of the DPP said that many residents have lost their trust in the commissioner.
DPP spokesman Chou Chiang-chieh (周江杰) said that as the party respects the judicial system’s independence, it would not comment on the case.
“However, KMT officials have falsely accused the DPP of political persecution. This shows that KMT officials are the ones using politics to interfere in the justice system,” he said.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that the DPP was “going after” elected representatives of the KMT.
After attacking the family of KMT Taichung by-election candidate Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) during a campaign that ended with his defeat on Sunday last week, “we now see they have targeted those in eastern Taiwan,” Chu said.
“The KMT respects the justice system, which cannot be used for political persecution,” he said.
KMT members “will rally together as one, and we will gather up the strongest legal defense team to fight this case,” he added.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS