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.
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
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Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
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