Mimicking Lai Qingde's Voice? Engineer Questions Legality of 'Oil Won't Let You' Video: Ruling Party Targeting Whistleblowers Again

With four months remaining until the 2026 county and municipal elections, the toxic oil scandal involving Chung Lien Oils continues to escalate. On July 25, the Kuomintang (KMT) held a 'I Am Human, I Oppose Poison Taiwan' rally on Ketagalan Boulevard, but the promotional video titled 'Oil Won't Let You' has reignited a new political battle.

In response, the Facebook page 'Engineer Looks at Politics' posted on the 28th under the title 'The 'Oil Won't Let You' video was taken down because it used AI to mimic President Lai Qingde’s voice, drawing attacks from the ruling party.' The post questioned whether past popular impersonation shows had also broken the law, criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government for focusing on silencing those who raise issues rather than addressing the issues themselves.

What is the 'Oil Won't Let You' incident? Why has it triggered a political storm?

The anti-toxic oil video 'Oil Won't Let You' centers on the carcinogenic oil scandal. It features a first-person narration from the perspective of 'a barrel of oil,' accompanied by AI-generated voiceover that closely mimics President Lai Qingde’s speech. However, Wei Chun-yu, head of the production team 'Fengxiang Co., Ltd.,' was later visited by police at his home. The Criminal Investigation Bureau stated it received public complaints alleging the video used AI deepfake technology to imitate Lai’s voice, potentially misleading the public into believing it was the president speaking. The case will be reviewed with technical reports and submitted to prosecutors to determine possible charges, including forgery of official documents.

The incident has sparked opposition claims of 'water meter inspections'—a metaphor for political intimidation—and suppression of free speech.

On July 27, the KMT Legislative Caucus held a press conference, with caucus secretary Lin Pei-hsiang (third from left) questioning whether Taiwan had become a 'police state.' (Photo credit: Central News Agency)

Is mimicking Lai Qingde’s voice illegal? What do police and scholars say?

The engineer pointed out that the Criminal Investigation Bureau first conducted a 'water meter inspection,' followed by pro-DPP lawyers threatening legal action, claiming deepfakes do not qualify as free speech and may violate forgery and election laws. However, recalling past impersonation shows like '100% Entertainment,' which accurately mimicked many public figures—especially Ko Wen-je, founder of the Taiwan People’s Party, whose mannerisms, expressions, and speech patterns were nearly identical—the engineer asked: 'Were all these people breaking the law?'

He contrasted this with 'Oil Won't Let You,' which clearly uses satire to criticize Lai Qingde in the context of benzopyrene contamination. If the government allows toxic oil to circulate, should citizens not be allowed to protest through video?

The engineer argued that forgery and election law violations are unlikely, and that pro-DPP lawyers are merely manipulating public opinion. As for academics calling for 'boundaries,' he questioned where those boundaries were when the DPP used memes to smear Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu or fabricated charges against Ko Wen-je to seize assets. Why speak up now—not for justice, but to curry favor and protect power?

He emphasized that neither the DPP nor its supporters discuss the video’s content, showing no concern for cancer or toxic oil. Instead, they focus solely on silencing critics—a tactic identical to the Ministry of Health and Welfare fining the compliant Nanchiao company.

More exclusive reports from Wind Media: • Prosecutors investigate 'Oil Won't Let You' for document forgery! Liu Jing-yi turns to attack 'this official': Why hasn’t she been prosecuted for falsifying her academic credentials? • Wu Cheng’s comment on toxic oil—'No one forced you to eat it'—sparks online fury! Huang Yang-ming reveals he was 'cursed' after leaving the show: Full account of the heated confrontation • First official to fall in toxic oil scandal? Huang Kuo-chang reveals 'he resigned' before the Ketagalan rally: Attempting to divert attention through legal amendments