TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —After questioning by prosecutors on Wednesday, the mayor of Hualien’s Guangfu Township, Lin Ching-shui (林清水), was arrested on Thursday night for negligence and forgery.
Guangfu Township suffered severe flooding in September after the Mataian Barrier Lake collapsed as a result of Typhoon Ragasa. Lin and others are suspected of fraudulently reporting the number of persons evacuated during the emergency, reported UDN.
During the flooding, which left 19 dead and five missing, evacuation orders were issued rapidly and there are questions regarding how Guangfu Township handled the situation. Hualien District Prosecutors searched government offices and Lin’s residence on Wednesday to collect materials related to the township's disaster response.
Prosecutors launched their investigation based on the steep increase of evacuees reported before the disaster, which surged from 600 to 8,000 within 12 hours. Lin and other officials are charged with vastly inflating the number of reported evacuees.
They are also being investigated for failing to request assistance when the scale of the evacuation was beyond the scope of the local government’s capability. Prosecutors allege the township office did not commit adequate effort and resources to directly warn residents of the danger they were in, which may lead to charges of negligent homicide.
Some local officials speaking anonymously said that while under pressure in a hectic situation, township officials may have accidentally misreported numbers to expedite paperwork, per UDN. There is also some speculation that some local government officials may have colluded to destroy evidence related to the township’s disaster response measures.
In addition to Lin, the township office secretary, surnamed Chang (張), and head of the Civil Affair Division, surnamed Wang (王), were also arrested but have been released on bail for NT$200,000 (US$6,300) and NT$150,000 (US$4,700), respectively.
Guangfu Township stated Friday and that the Mataian Barrier Lake flood was an unprecedented disaster. The local government says its response was in accordance to the Disaster Prevention and Relief Act, but that it respects the ongoing judicial investigation.
