Taichung prosecutors have indicted 34 workers from the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Taichung chapter for allegedly falsifying documents in an attempt to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers.
The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office in a statement yesterday said the individuals forged 4,258 signatures after the chapter’s decision in January to launch recall vote petitions against Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Ho Hsin- chun (何欣純).
The 34 have been charged with forgery and contraventions of the Personal Data Protection Act (電腦處理個人資料保護法).
Photo: CNA
Four of them also face charges of breaching the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), including senior officials Wu Kang-lung (伍康龍) and Chen Chien-feng (陳劍鋒), who were allegedly the masterminds behind the operation.
Prosecutors have requested severe penalties for Wu and Chen, saying that they deleted chat records and did not plead guilty until the final stage of the investigation.
The case is part of an ongoing probe into alleged falsification in recall petitions across the country.
The KMT, the largest opposition party, has seen about 100 chapter workers indicted in the widening investigation, including 12 from its Yilan County chapter and 31 from New Taipei City.
On Friday last week, the Central Election Commission announced a list of recall votes scheduled for July 26, involving 24 KMT lawmakers, as well as suspended Hsinchu City Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安), a former member of the Taiwan People’s Party.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest