Judicial authorities searched the offices of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local chapters in New Taipei City, and listed 10 party executives and staff as suspects in their probes into fraud and forgery relating to petition campaigns to recall four Democratic Progressive Party legislators.
After being questioned by prosecutors, six KMT executives and staff were yesterday released on bail of NT$50,000 to NT$100,000, while the rest were freed without bail.
Law enforcement authorities on Thursday searched 16 locations, including KMT chapters in the city’s Shulin (樹林), Tucheng (土城) and Sansia (三峽) districts, summoning office directors and secretarial staff for questioning.
Photo: CNA
New Taipei City prosecutors in a news release said the investigations found evidence of fraud and forgery, including mass copying of names of people from KMT member lists without the consent of the owners and forged signatures on petitions that appear to have been written by a handful of people, in contravention of rules governing recalls and personal privacy.
New Taipei City KMT executives allegedly instructed staff and volunteers to go to party offices during the Lunar New Year holiday in February to copy names from KMT member lists, with each person receiving a “red envelope” containing NT$1,000, the release said.
Prosecutors last month also searched KMT chapters in the city’s Banciao (板橋) and Sanchong (三重) districts, and have detained KMT Banciao official Chen Cheng-jung (陳貞容) since April 29.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, Yilan County prosecutors investigating similar allegations on Thursday listed 19 KMT members as suspects, with three being placed in detention, while the head of the KMT chapter in Yilan County, Lin Ming-chang (林明昌), was released on NT$800,000 bail.
In other developments, civic groups yesterday submitted to the local election commission in Keelung 37,533 petitions to recall KMT Legislator Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥). The total number of signatures collected was 23 percent higher than the minimum required for the second-phase threshold.
Chen Ching-yi (陳青逸), head of the campaign to recall Lin, said the lawmaker had done nothing in the legislature but follow the instructions of KMT leaders to the detriment of the public, and had denigrated people by branding all recall campaign volunteers as attention-seeking “marginalized people.”
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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