Civil administrator from Keelung previously held in custody
Rewritten Article:
Hey there! Let's get to the latest scoop about the controversy brewing in Keelung, Taiwan.
The Keelung District Court has given the green light to prosecutors to clamp Chang Yuan-hsiang, a former bigwig at the Keelung Department of Civil Affairs, in custody. The decision comes following allegations of pilfering personal data to aid a recall campaign against local Democratic Progressive Party city councilors.
The Keelung District Prosecutors' Office has hit Chang with stern accusations of skulking his way into the household registration system, wrenching data, and tweaking party membership lists—all just to make the signatures for recalling Councilors Cheng Wen-ting and Jiho Tiun look legit.
Initially, Chang enjoyed his freedom on a NT$400,000 bond, but it all unraveled when he was hauled in for further questioning after prosecutors reviewed some new evidence. Alas, he couldn't offer enough explanations that balanced the books, and that's when the law stepped in to take care of business.
Prosecutors filed a detention request, citing the potential risk of Chang joining forces with other vermin to obliterate evidence, or plotting sneaky schemes. The court approved the request, and Chang now finds himself in a 'no contact' situation, waiting for the verdict.
Another fishy character implicated in the case is Hsieh Wei-jen, an adviser to the Keelung City Government. He found himself in the hot seat for a day, only to sail away on a NT$150,000 bond, according to our sources.
This case in Keelung is just one of several investigations across Taiwan, where campaign organizers have been accused of peddling forged signatures to initiate public recall votes from both ends of the political spectrum.
Now, you might be wondering, who the heck is Chang Yuan-hsiang? Let me fill you in:
Chang Yuan-hsiang- Occupation: Former Director of the Keelung Department of Civil Affairs- Accusations: Illegally accessing and providing data from the household registration system to assist in recall campaigns targeting DPP city councilors Cheng Wen-ting and Jiho Tiun. Prosecutors claim he aided in revising and verifying party membership lists, including removing deceased individuals and updating addresses to expedite signature gathering for the recalls. Chang was initially granted a bond but was later detained when further questioning exposed new evidence, leaving him unable to offer plausible explanations, prompting the prosecutors to seek his detention due to the risk of collusion or destruction of evidence.
This investigation has set its sights on multiple key figures, each as shady as the last. Stay tuned as we crack this one open!
As we delve deeper into the Keelung data misuse investigation, we're uncovering a tangled web that involves several notable figures. Here's a quick breakdown of who they are and what they're accused of:
Chi Wen-chuan and Yu Cheng-i- Roles: Leaders of the recall campaigns- Accusations: Investigated for suspected involvement in forging data, destroying evidence, and collusion. Their residences were among those searched by prosecutors.- Legal Status: Detained and held incommunicado during the investigation
Hsu Shao-yeh- Role: Another recall campaign leader- Accusations: Interrogated in connection with the same alleged offenses- Legal Status: Interrogated, further status not detailed in available reports
Chang Jin-fa- Role: KMT committee director of Renai District- Accusations: Suspected of illegally using personal data, forging data, destroying evidence, and collusion- Legal Status: Detained and held incommunicado
For a complete cheat sheet, check out our handy table below!
| Name | Role/Title | Accusations | Legal Status (as of latest reports) ||-------------------|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|| Chang Yuan-hsiang | Former Director, Keelung Dept. of Civil Affairs | Illegal data access and provision, forgery | Detained[2][5] || Chi Wen-chuan | Recall campaign leader | Forging data, collusion, destruction of evidence | Detained[1] || Yu Cheng-i | Recall campaign leader | Forging data, collusion, destruction of evidence | Detained[1] || Hsu Shao-yeh | Recall campaign leader | Forging data, collusion, destruction of evidence | Interrogated[1] || Chang Jin-fa | KMT District Committee Director | Illegal data use, forgery, collusion | Detained[1] |
This case revolves around multiple grave offenses: violation of Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act, abuse of the household registration system to boost the signature collection for the recall campaigns, targeting specific DPP city councilors.
Sources:[1] The Taiwan News[2] Focus Taiwan[3] United Daily News[4] Central News Agency[5] Taiwan News Network[6] CNA Archive (for initial bail information)
- Despite initial release on a NT$400,000 bond, Chang Yuan-hsiang, a former director at the Keelung Department of Civil Affairs, found himself in custody due to accusations of illegally accessing and providing data from the household registration system to aid in recall campaigns against DPP city councilors.
- The risk of Chang Yuan-hsiang potentially colluding with others to destroy evidence or plot sneaky schemes led to his detention, according to the Keelung District Court.
- This investigation into data misuse in Keelung is linked to several other accusations across Taiwan, involving figures such as Chi Wen-chuan, Yu Cheng-i, Hsu Shao-yeh, and Chang Jin-fa, who are currently under investigation for offenses including forgery, destruction of evidence, and collusion.
- The ongoing Keelung data misuse case highlights the gravity of violating Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act, abusing the household registration system, and committing political crimes that threaten general-news integrity and crime-and-justice proceedings.
