TAIPEI - Officials from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) publicly bowed and apologised on Friday for the handling of a series of sexual harassment complaints in recent days, with President Tsai Ing-wen backing plans for an investigation into the latest scandal. 

Ms Tsai severely condemns any sexual harassment and wants victim rights to be prioritised by investigators, according to a statement from the Presidential Office.

“I feel angry, distressed and apologetic to those who worked in the DPP and were treated like this,” the party’s secretary-general, Mr Hsu Li-ming, said at a briefing in Taipei Friday, where he appeared with three other officials.

“For any known or unknown victims, we are willing to offer all resources and channels to help them out of the shadow of being hurt.”

The scandal first came to light when a former party worker complained on Facebook about how the party had handled her complaint after she said she was sexually assaulted by a contractor last September following a video shoot.

Ms Hsu Chia-tien resigned on Thursday as DPP deputy secretary-general following the post, which accused her, as the then-head of the party’s Women’s Development Department, of dismissing the former worker’s complaint and pushing back against calls for a full investigation. 

The episode has already led DPP chairman Lai Ching-te, the party’s nominee for January’s presidential election, to tell reporters on Thursday he would launch an investigation into the case.

He also apologised to the complainant in a Facebook post, saying the party will not tolerate sexual harassment.

Party officials then confirmed the existence of two other cases during the Friday briefing.

Bowing twice in apology along with three other senior party officials, Secretary-General Hsu vowed to enact strict disciplinary procedures and asked party lawyers to report the cases to the police.

When asked about speculation that one of the cases involved a current party official, Mr Hsu responded that an investigation is under way. The party member in question quit the DPP, according to a report on the Apple Daily website.

All those who feel violated can complain directly to him, and managers found trying to hide complaints will be fired, Mr Hsu said.

The party hopes to handle such cases publicly and fairly, he said, adding that gender equality is the common goal of the DPP and the Taiwanese public. BLOOMBERG