Taipei city councilor Chin Hui-chu says grassroots borough chiefs were pressured by a political survey, a fresh sign of election-year distrust ahead of Taiwan's November local vote.

• Borough chiefs say Academia Sinica volunteers showed up with a 100-question survey on cross-strait ties and personal politics, taking an hour to fill out.
• The survey was called anonymous but listed names and boroughs, and the priority interview list was all KMT-affiliated chiefs.
• Questions were loaded — whether they would back Xi Jinping for president, whether they would lead residents to fight a Chinese attack, and whether they were treated to trips in China.
• Many stayed quiet out of fear of being marked or investigated under the anti-infiltration law; Taipei investigators questioned 41 borough chiefs in a single day this cycle, with one phone still not returned.
• The city's civil affairs bureau says nobody has to answer, no authority can force it, and district offices have been told to protect chiefs across party lines.

Outlook: Expect more friction over election-year investigations as the November 28 local elections approach.