HUALIEN (TVBS News) — Hualien County Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) filed an aggravated defamation lawsuit Thursday (July 24) against Pegatron (和碩) Chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) at the Hualien District Prosecutors Office. The legal action stems from Tung's public accusations that the county government demanded central allocation of NT$70 million (around US$2.4 million) in charitable donations. The dispute has escalated into a high-profile confrontation between Taiwan's technology industry and local government officials.
Tung made these controversial allegations during an active campaign to recall Kuomintang (國民黨) Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) in Hualien County. The technology executive claimed the county government had threatened local schools against accepting direct assistance from Taipei authorities. However, Tung failed to specify which particular earthquake disaster he referenced in his public statements, creating confusion about the timeline.
Hsu held a press conference at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday to forcefully refute Tung's accusations, demanding concrete evidence and a public apology within 24 hours. Tung subsequently clarified to media outlets that his comments referenced the February 6 earthquake disaster. During that particular earthquake period, Fu Kun-chi served as county magistrate rather than Hsu, highlighting a critical timeline discrepancy in the allegations.
Hsu argued that Tung's public statements fundamentally confused the chronological timeline and significantly damaged the reputation of Hualien County Government. The magistrate emphasized that her decision to pursue legal action serves specifically to protect the county's institutional honor and credibility. She contended that such misrepresentations undermine public trust in local government operations and require formal judicial resolution. ◼