KMT Lawmaker Apollo Chen (
Chen's was referring to being robbed last weekend in Taipei County's Sanhsia area.
The 45-year-old lawmaker and his wife were driving through the Sanhsia area in the early evening on Nov. 2. A Honda Civic and a Mitsubishi Mirage showed up and forced him off the road.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
A man pretending to ask for directions approached Chen's car and was quickly followed by two other men. All three of them drew pistols and forced Chen to hand over all his valuables.The men took NT$10,000, car keys and Chen's only available mobile phone.
According to the Taipei County Police Department's Sanhsia Precinct, the police have currently identified two suspects, both surnamed Pan (
Other than his lawmaking duties, Chen also serves as one of the six campaign spokesmen for Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
As a result, Chen's being robbed before the election day was initially considered as a politically related case but police later denied a political connection.
Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) said on Nov. 3 that he was confident that the police would find the suspects within a short time. But police officers were not as optimistic as Yu.
"The only thing we're quite sure about at this moment is that this is a simple robbery and has nothing to do with politics. We are not quite sure how long it is going to take to find the suspects since we do not have much evidence," said an officer who wished to remain anonymous.
Chen told the Taipei Times that the police have kept in touch with him every now and then to update him on the case and he believed that the case could be closed shortly.
"I hope that I am the last victim of armed robbery," he said.
Chen was a reporter for the Chinese-language China Daily News (
"I always know what I am doing," Chen said. "It doesn't matter whether I am a reporter, a city councilor or a lawmaker. Now, what I do is serve the people. That is something that I am happy with and I will continue doing it."
Asked why he became one of Ma's campaign spokesmen, Chen told the Taipei Times that Ma and he are old friends and he was the person who actually inspired Ma to run for the re-election this year.
"Prior to being officially nominated by the KMT as a mayoral candidate in June this year, Ma was hesitating about whether he should run," Chen said. "I encouraged him and told him, `just follow your heart.' The next day, he told me that he had decided to do it."
He said that other than politics, Ma and he have been good friends for years and they often share their views on different issues whenever they have a chance. When Ma decided to run for his re-election and invited Chen to join his team of spokesmen, he said yes immediately.
Chen was interviewed by the Taipei Times in March this year. During that interview, he confirmed a then-rumor that he was interested in running for Taipei mayor.
"I'm interested in running for Taipei mayor, though the priority now is on Ma, whom I also support," Chen said during that interview.
Yesterday, Chen said that when it comes to his own career plans, he will "follow people's wishes."
"My voters' decision will be the decision regarding my future plans. I will follow their wishes," he said.
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