Alleged vote-buying in Hualien to be investigated

By Wang Ching-yi / Staff reporter Add TT as Preferred Source The Hualien District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday launched an investigation following allegations by a former foreign correspondent in Taiwan of widespread vote-buying in Hualien County. In an interview with Formosa TV (FTV, 民視) aired on Saturday, former Financial Times Taiwan correspondent Kathrin Hille spoke about Taiwan’s democracy and said that she now lives in rural Hualien, where “all the votes are bought.” Neighbors would talk about who had come by and leave cash on the table showing “how much each vote was worth that year,” Hille said. Two people perform a skit at an event in Hualien County campaigning against vote-buying in an undated photograph. Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Taipei Times The practice needs to be addressed, cons