Taiwan's top prosecutors are pushing back on claims that a mass mailing to neighborhood chiefs amounts to political intimidation ahead of this year's local elections.

• Prosecutors' offices sent a letter titled "protect your hometown's vote" to village and borough chiefs, warning about foreign interference, fake voter registrations, and election gambling rings.
• Critics say using police to hand-deliver the letters and citing a case about a China-funded trip is a way to scare local officials and choke off cross-strait contact.
• The Supreme Prosecutors Office says this is routine legal education, done under election law, and that neighborhood chiefs were used simply because they know their communities.
• Prosecutors also spelled out what counts as an "infiltration source" and said free trips can count as vote-buying depending on intent, not just the amount of money involved.

Outlook: Expect more fights over the anti-infiltration law as campaigning heats up, with each new case read through a pro- or anti-Beijing lens.