A journalist and a retired professor from Taiwan have been sentenced to prison for fabricating false public opinion polls during the 2024 presidential and legislative election campaign under the direction of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Lin Hsien-yĆ¼an (ęē»å ), a Taiwanese journalist and head of Chih-tung New Media Communication Co., Ltd. (ęåę°åŖé«å³ęęéå ¬åø), was accused by the District Prosecutor in Taichung City of fabricating false polls on behalf of Beijing for personal gain.
Lin reportedly worked with Su YĆ¼n-hua (čé²čÆ), a retired associate professor at the Department of Business Administration of Providence University (éå®å¤§åø), to create nine fake polls under the direction of the PRC's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. They received 130,000 RMB (approximately 18,000 USD) to make the polls, which were intended to mislead voters and influence the election outcome.
Prosecutors in Taichung alleged that in April 2023 Lin was invited by the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to travel to the city of Xiamen. Lin asked Su to join him on the trip. Upon their return to Taiwan, Lin established "Chih-tung New Media Communication Co., Ltd." and “Yuan-feng Media”. They began releasing a series of polls favourable to pro-Beijing candidates.
For instance, in December 2023 they fabricated a fake poll showing 33.22% support for Hou You-yi (ä¾Æåå®), the presidential candidate of the CCP-friendly Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). The same poll showed that support for Lai Ch’ing-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stood at 32%. Lin disseminated the poll on his own media outlets, and it was also picked up by some mainstream media. Eventually, Lai Ch'ing-te received 40% of the vote, while Hou You-yi won 33%.
Lin Hsien-yĆ¼an reportedly sent the fabricated poll results via WeChat to Chen Binhua (éęå), the spokesperson and director of the PRC's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Lin discussed with Chen about manipulating the poll results to inflate the Kuomintang candidate's approval rating.
Lin and Su were prosecuted under the Anti-Infiltration Act (åę»²éę³) as well as Article 90 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election and Recall Act (ēµ±åÆēø½ēµ±éøčē½·å ę³) for the crime of disseminating false information with the intent to make a profit.
The Anti-Infiltration Act was enacted by the Republic of China (Taiwan) on January 15, 2020, to prevent “the infiltration and intervention of foreign hostile forces, to ensure national security and social stability, and to safeguard the sovereignty and liberal democratic constitutional order” of the country.
The Act defines hostile forces as “countries, political entities or groups that are at war with or are engaged in a military standoff with the Republic of China” or “advocate the use of non-peaceful means to endanger the sovereignty of the Republic of China.”
On August 30, 2024, the Taichung District Court sentenced Lin to eight months in prison and deprivation of civil rights for two years, while Su was sentenced to four months in prison and deprivation of civil rights for one year.
The PRC has long sought to influence Taiwan's democratic processes, employing a range of tactics to undermine the country's sovereignty, including disinformation campaigns, cognitive warfare, economic pressure and military intimidation.
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Sources:
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Taichung/breakingnews/4784691
https://www.storm.mg/article/5230734
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/factcheck-tw1-12222023163055.html
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/factcheck-tw2-12222023170615.html
https://www.setn.com/News.aspx?NewsID=1522971
https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030317
https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0020053
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/01/14/2003812072
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/01/13/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-presidential-election/
https://sinopsis.cz/en/taiwan-and-ccp-political-warfare-a-blueprint/
https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/01/taiwans-democracy-prevailed-despite-chinas-election-interference
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309736216_Development_of_the_democratic_processes_in_the_PRC_elements_of_Taiwanese_experience
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336585281_Selective_Engagement_Mainland_China%27s_Dual-Track_Taiwan_Policy
__________
Lin Hsien-yĆ¼an (ęē»å ), a Taiwanese journalist and head of Chih-tung New Media Communication Co., Ltd. (ęåę°åŖé«å³ęęéå ¬åø), was accused by the District Prosecutor in Taichung City of fabricating false polls on behalf of Beijing for personal gain.
Lin reportedly worked with Su YĆ¼n-hua (čé²čÆ), a retired associate professor at the Department of Business Administration of Providence University (éå®å¤§åø), to create nine fake polls under the direction of the PRC's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. They received 130,000 RMB (approximately 18,000 USD) to make the polls, which were intended to mislead voters and influence the election outcome.
Prosecutors in Taichung alleged that in April 2023 Lin was invited by the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to travel to the city of Xiamen. Lin asked Su to join him on the trip. Upon their return to Taiwan, Lin established "Chih-tung New Media Communication Co., Ltd." and “Yuan-feng Media”. They began releasing a series of polls favourable to pro-Beijing candidates.
For instance, in December 2023 they fabricated a fake poll showing 33.22% support for Hou You-yi (ä¾Æåå®), the presidential candidate of the CCP-friendly Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). The same poll showed that support for Lai Ch’ing-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stood at 32%. Lin disseminated the poll on his own media outlets, and it was also picked up by some mainstream media. Eventually, Lai Ch'ing-te received 40% of the vote, while Hou You-yi won 33%.
Lin Hsien-yĆ¼an reportedly sent the fabricated poll results via WeChat to Chen Binhua (éęå), the spokesperson and director of the PRC's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Lin discussed with Chen about manipulating the poll results to inflate the Kuomintang candidate's approval rating.
Lin and Su were prosecuted under the Anti-Infiltration Act (åę»²éę³) as well as Article 90 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election and Recall Act (ēµ±åÆēø½ēµ±éøčē½·å ę³) for the crime of disseminating false information with the intent to make a profit.
The Anti-Infiltration Act was enacted by the Republic of China (Taiwan) on January 15, 2020, to prevent “the infiltration and intervention of foreign hostile forces, to ensure national security and social stability, and to safeguard the sovereignty and liberal democratic constitutional order” of the country.
The Act defines hostile forces as “countries, political entities or groups that are at war with or are engaged in a military standoff with the Republic of China” or “advocate the use of non-peaceful means to endanger the sovereignty of the Republic of China.”
On August 30, 2024, the Taichung District Court sentenced Lin to eight months in prison and deprivation of civil rights for two years, while Su was sentenced to four months in prison and deprivation of civil rights for one year.
The PRC has long sought to influence Taiwan's democratic processes, employing a range of tactics to undermine the country's sovereignty, including disinformation campaigns, cognitive warfare, economic pressure and military intimidation.
***
Or take a look at some of my books:
The Adventure of Urashima Taro
Breeze of a Spring Evening and Other Stories
Rags or Riches - A Hong Kong Novel
Craven A and other Stories
The Oil Vendor and the Queen of Flowers: A Tale From Ancient China
Thanks for your support!
Sources:
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/Taichung/breakingnews/4784691
https://www.storm.mg/article/5230734
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/factcheck-tw1-12222023163055.html
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/factcheck-tw2-12222023170615.html
https://www.setn.com/News.aspx?NewsID=1522971
https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=A0030317
https://law.moj.gov.tw/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=D0020053
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/01/14/2003812072
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/01/13/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-presidential-election/
https://sinopsis.cz/en/taiwan-and-ccp-political-warfare-a-blueprint/
https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/01/taiwans-democracy-prevailed-despite-chinas-election-interference
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309736216_Development_of_the_democratic_processes_in_the_PRC_elements_of_Taiwanese_experience
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336585281_Selective_Engagement_Mainland_China%27s_Dual-Track_Taiwan_Policy
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