TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has asked China to help out with finding the author of bomb threats against several lawmakers, Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said Saturday (March 9).

Legislators from both opposition and ruling parties have received messages threatening them with violence if they did not pay varying sums of money. The list of targeted politicians included Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), while some of the threats were authored by someone using the name of Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁).

The investigation showed the messages had been routed from several countries, including China, according to Lin. As a result, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) asked China to locate the person behind the threats, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI).

Meanwhile, police upgraded the protection levels of legislators and the sites they worked at, Lin said. All of the threats had come from outside the country, he confirmed, adding that police would do their utmost to safeguard the rule of law and find the culprits.