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Su says he's victim of smear campaign

"A similar plot cost me the commissioner's seat in Pingtung County eight years ago."

Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang

Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) dismissed as unfounded yesterday charges that he has turned a blind eye to illegal gambling parlors in the county, some of which sit across from his office.

The Chinese-language Next magazine carried a story in yesterday's edition linking the suicide of a local film director's brother to Su's tolerance of the underground parlors.

The weekly magazine claimed that Lien Pi-tung (連碧東), younger brother of famous director Wu Nien-jen (吳念真), killed himself last month after failing to pay a huge debt to an illegal gambling parlor in Panchiao.

The magazine claims Lien was obsessed with playing video games that carried heavy stakes.

"The story is an utter lie. I hate gambling more than anyone and have unremittingly cracked down on illegal gambling parlors in the county," Su told a news conference. He called the accusation a smear campaign intended to undermine his re-election bid.

The commissioner said that since 1998 he has declared war on the county's illegal gambling parlors, disgusted at the industry that has led many young people astray.

"As a result of a fierce crackdown, the number of video arcades in the county has plummeted from 581 to 34 in recent years," Su said, adding that all the existing facilities are properly licensed.

He said he would reserve the right to sue Next but would not take quick legal action in order to avoid promoting the magazine's sales.

Su urged county residents not to believe the story, which he maintained was part of a scheme to ruin his election campaign.

"A similar plot cost me the commissioner's seat in Pingtung County eight years ago," Su said. "We must not allow a repeat of injustice here in December."

Still, his challenger, Wang Chien-shien (王建火宣) of the opposition alliance, called on Su to admit to his ineptitude and issue an apology.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," said a statement released by the Wang campaign. "The DPP, after running the county for 12 years, has developed intimate ties with various interest groups."

The commissioner has hesitated to shut down all illegal gambling parlors in an effort to please potential voters, the statement said, equating Su's explanation with encroaching on freedom of the press.

"Most publications would not have run their story before checking their accuracy," the statement said.

The Wang camp challenged Su to produce concrete evidence to back up his charge and suggested a candidate from a different party be given the chance to run the county to straighten out the illegal gambling and other problems.
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