Hualien County to sue Pegatron chairman over quake donation claims

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) The Hualien County Government said Wednesday it will file a lawsuit against Pegatron Corporation Chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) over what it called "false accusations" that local officials blocked his efforts to assist earthquake-hit schools.

Tung alleged in a video released the same day that he and Pegatron Corporation donated more than NT$70 million following the 2024 Hualien earthquake, but were warned against giving the money to the county government by an experienced charity worker.

"At first I didn't believe it," Tung said in the video released by civic group "New Beginning Hualien" (曙光花蓮), a civic organization supporting a recall campaign against Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), a prominent Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker representing the county.

"But after asking around, I discovered it was really like that," the chairman of the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing firm said.

He said that when his team later tried to provide direct help to an elementary school, the Hualien County Government threatened the school and insisted all aid be donated directly to the county government.

Tung, who was born in the county's Ruisui Township, said his group instead sent construction teams to repair damaged buildings because he didn't want "disaster-stricken institutions being threatened."

Tung also criticized Fu and his wife, county magistrate Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚), for their "more-than-20-years monopoly" on power in Hualien County, which he said had "cut off opportunities for young people."

In a press release, the Hualien County Government denied Tung's accusations and said it had "not received any relevant information" about the NT$70 million donation.

It said private donors can give directly to schools through a school-based donation program, and added that procedures had been simplified to encourage public contributions.

Chen Chien-tsun (陳建村), director of Hualien County Government's Research and Administration Department, said Tung's remarks were unverified and appeared politically motivated.

Tung returned to his home county on Wednesday to campaign for the recall movement against Fu Kun-chi.