Driver could face legal action over Pingtung campaign truck incident

Taipei, Dec. 25 (CNA) A driver could face legal action after the election campaign truck he was driving got stuck under the west gate of the historic city wall in Hengchun, southern Pingtung County, police said Monday.

The incident happened at around 6 p.m. Sunday, when local police received the report of a truck getting stuck under the Hengchun Old City Wall's west gate, Hengchun Precinct said in a press release.

Officers were able to remove the truck from the gate after deflating its tires, the precinct said.

The driver, who was campaigning for Taiwan People's Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and his running mate Wu Hsin-ying (吳欣盈), apparently misjudged the height of his truck and left scuff marks on the historic structure, police said.

Built during the Qing dynasty (1636-1911), the old city wall has all of its original gates still standing, and it is protected as a national historical site.

At present, vehicles are only allowed to pass through the north and west gates of the wall, and they have a clearance of 2 meters, according to Pingtung authorities.

Pending an assessment by the county's Cultural Affairs Department, the driver will be summoned for questioning over the incident, the precinct said.

The case will then be handed over to prosecutors to determine if there was a violation of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, the precinct added.

TPP Pingtung chapter head Lin Yu-hsien (林育先) told CNA on Monday that the party will cooperate with an investigation into the incident, but noted that the truck was owned and operated by a supporter and not by the campaign office.

Under Article 103 of the cultural heritage law, damaging a historical site is subject to a prison sentence of six months to five years, and could also be fined between NT$500,000 (US$16,070) and NT$20 million.