Taiwan prosecutors have charged the head of a local council in Yunlin County with running a violent extortion ring, a blow to public trust in grassroots politics.

• Han Ching-shan, independent chair of the Mailiao township council, is accused of forcing dirt-hauling operators to pay weekly protection money.
• Operators who refused had their sites blocked, trucks stopped, and excavator keys pulled, with eight businesses hit and more than NT$1 million taken.
• His company is also accused of issuing 137 fake invoices to dodge over NT$33 million in taxes.
• Police found military-style rifle ammunition and guns at his service office.
• Prosecutors also cite threats against a baseball coach who recruited a local player away from the town.

Outlook: Twenty-six people have been indicted and prosecutors are asking the Yunlin district court for a 20-year sentence for Han.