TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Authorities launched an investigation into last year's devastating flood along Hualien County's Matai'an Creek (馬太鞍溪) on Wednesday (Jan. 14). The flood, which occurred on Sept. 23 last year, resulted in 19 deaths and left five people missing. Prosecutors are now scrutinizing the actions of local officials to determine accountability for the disaster.
The Hualien District Prosecutors Office (花蓮地檢署) conducted searches on Wednesday (Jan. 14) at the Guangfu Township (光復鄉) office and the residences of Township Chief Lin Ching-shui (林清水) and his secretary, Chang Yuan-pao (張源寶). Prosecutors are investigating possible charges of negligence leading to death and dereliction of duty. The search began at 7 a.m., with officials collecting evacuation lists and disaster response notifications as evidence.
Following the search, authorities escorted Lin and Chang to the township office for further examination of their workspaces. Later, they took both individuals to an investigation station for questioning. Prosecutors are gathering evidence to clarify the implementation of evacuation measures and the accuracy of reported numbers.
Lisin Haluwey (理新．哈魯蔚), a spokesperson for the "Matai'an Creek Trans-Basin Alliance" (馬太鞍溪跨流域聯盟), expressed concerns about the evacuation process during the flood. Haluwey stated that there were many obvious oversights during the evacuation that day, but that the prosecutors and investigators must thoroughly investigate before assigning blame.
>>> LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Legal proceedings discussed in this article remain ongoing. Under Taiwan law and international legal standards, all individuals mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.
