Prosecutors have raided Hualien County government offices and questioned several officials in connection with a recall petition to remove KMT legislator Fu Kun-chi. Authorities are investigating whether officials violated the privacy of residents who signed the petition by visiting their homes to verify their identity. The raids come amid a wider national debate over recall efforts and voter protections.
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00:00It's been a long night for Minglian Zhen.
00:03The Hualien County official had his office raided by prosecutors,
00:07and he, along with several others, spent the day answering questions
00:11about whether they violated the privacy rights of local voters.
00:15Imagine you're upset with your local legislator,
00:18and you sign a petition to recall them.
00:20Then a short time later, someone claiming to be a government inspector
00:23arrives at your door, asking you about the petition and your identity.
00:28Well, that's exactly what some Hualien petitioners say happened to them,
00:31and it's the cause of the recent raids.
00:34The petitions are for the recall of Hualien legislator
00:37and opposition KMT caucus whip Fu Kunxi.
00:40Known as the King of Hualien, Fu is a controversial and influential politician
00:45who once served prison time for financial crimes.
00:50Fu's home property was also raided earlier this month
00:53as part of a separate campaign finance investigation.
00:56He says it's all part of a long-running effort
00:59by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to take him down.
01:15Hualien County officials have defended their inspections of petitioners,
01:18saying they didn't break any laws or regulations.
01:27A spokesperson for the Fu Kunxi recall effort, however, has applauded the raid.
01:33The raids are just the latest in the growing controversy
01:37over recall drives across the country
01:40that have led to investigations, lawsuits, and political actions.
01:44The raids are just the latest in the growing controversy over recall drives across the
01:57country that have led to investigations, lawsuits, and political outrage on all sides.
02:05And with yet another legal action, which is sure to be met with counter-suits, it seems
02:09the dispute won't be ending anytime soon.
02:12I'm Chris Ma and Chris Goren for Taiwan Plus.