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Ma welcomes old foe Chen during visit to city hall

"Give your full support to [Taipei] Mayor Ma for a better administration, and that's the best you can offer Taipei City residents," President Chen-Shui-bian (陳水扁) wrote on a message board in the Taipei City Hall yesterday as he embarked on his first visit back to his former place of work since his mayorship defeat by Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in 1998.

Chen was undertaking an inspection visit to the city hall and other locations around Taipei with Ma as his escort. The visit was the focus of much media attention due to the two men's positions on the opposite sides of the political spectrum. However during yesterday's trip reporters saw no sign of the bad blood that sours relations between Chen and Ma's respective parties, the DPP and the KMT.

As a former mayor of Taipei City, Chen yesterday said, "It feels good to return to home again. [This place] is just like my own child." Chen and Ma chatted freely with each other during the visit which included trips to Taipei's Museum of Contemporary Art and the construction site of the Hsinyi freeway branch of the Second North Highway.

Answering questions from reporters, Ma said, "It is the longest talk I've ever had with President Chen."

Ma has clashed several times with the Chen administration over a number of issues regarding major city construction projects, many of which Ma demanded more financial funding for from the central government.

"During the visit, I didn't mention money once, as I didn't want to spoil the atmosphere," Ma said.
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