Retired general out on bail, suspected of vote interference

• By Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNA

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The Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday released retired army general Tsang You-hsia (臧幼俠) and five others on bail after they were questioned on suspicion of facilitating Beijing-directed election interference.

Tsang had been released on a NT$700,000 bail and barred from traveling outside Taiwan as part of an investigation handed to prosecutors by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Pingtung County field office, the office said in a statement.

Tsang, who is chairman of the Taiwan Chinese Culture Revival and Economic Development Association, helped the China-based Huangpu Military Academy Alumni Association in its efforts to subvert the Nov. 28 local elections, it said.

Retired army general Tsang You-hsia attends a Double Ten National Day celebration in Taipei on Oct. 10, 2020.

Photo: Taipei Times

Tsang worked under its direct supervision to provide Taiwanese voters with free trips, tours and restaurant meals in China, despite having knowledge that the alumni association is a front for “united front” work, the office said.

Tsang also held multiple banquets in Taiwan, where he asked guests to vote for specific candidates and oppose people with ties to the Kuma Academy, it said.

The Kuma Academy is a civil defense readiness group cofounded by Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋), the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate for Taipei mayor.

The authorities raided 14 homes and offices and questioned 22 subjects, the office said.

The remaining alleged co-conspirators were released on bail ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$100,000 and given the same travel restriction, it said.

In 2024, the military cut Tsang’s pension by 75 percent for five years after a court found him guilty of contravening laws governing cross-strait relations after he stood for the Chinese national anthem in Hong Kong.

The act was an offense under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Ministry of National Defense said at the time.