Woman sentenced to 4 years for organizing China-funded voter tours

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) A woman has been sentenced to four years in prison for organizing trips to China for Taiwanese nationals, with expenses partially covered by the Chinese authorities in 2023, in an attempt to solicit votes for a specific party ahead of the 2024 presidential race.

Chiayi District Court on Thursday handed down the jail sentence, along with deprivation of civil rights for three years, against Lin Hsueh-feng (林雪峰) for violating laws aimed at countering Chinese infiltration and using improper benefits to influence voters.

The ruling can be appealed.

In the run-up to the January 2024 presidential election, Lin organized several group tours to Zhejiang Province involving village or ward chiefs from Chiayi, at the invitation of the Taiwan Affairs Office (TOA) of Taizhou City, prosecutors found.

Each participant was charged NT$16,000 (US$536) for flight tickets, transportation, and meals for the six-day trip in August, October and November in 2023, while expenses for board, lodging and local travel were paid by Taizhou's TOA, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Chinese officials promoted the idea to the participants that "both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family" and encouraged participants to "vote for a specific political party's candidate" in the presidential election.

Lin herself also hinted to the participants that they should vote for a specific candidate in return for the sponsored trip, prosecutors said.

During her trial, Lin denied the trips were related to the presidential election, stating that such activities were normal exchanges between Taiwan and China, according to the court.

Chiayi court determined that the expenses for the trips far exceeded reasonable limits and were planned with the intent to influence the behavior of voters.

Lin, now 54, ran unsuccessfully for Chiayi City councilor twice in 2018 and 2022 under the banner of the Kuomintang (KMT).

The court said its ruling was based on provisions in the Anti-Infiltration Act and the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act, which prohibit providing improper benefits to eligible voters under the direction and funding of infiltration sources.