Hsieh camp accuses Hau of campaign infractions

The campaign headquarters of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) of being an "opportunist."

Hsiao Yu-chen (蕭裕珍), executive officer of the Hsieh campaign, told a press conference that Hau was being 100 percent tolerant of his own behavior although he said his would be "zero tolerant" of anything illegal if he were elected mayor.

For example, Hsiao said, Hau had violated electoral regulations by erecting campaign boards long before the permitted time.

According to the Election and Recall Law of Civil Servants (公務人員選舉罷免法), campaign boards cannot be erected until two months prior to election day.

Hsiao accused Hau of giving out breakfasts to people taking part in former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh's (施明德) anti-Chen campaign sit-in on Ketagalan Boulevard in order to "bribe" them.

She also said Dajia Riverside Park was filled with trash after Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Hau opened the park for barbecues during a campaign event last Saturday.

She urged Hau to "face the problems" mentioned by Hsieh's headquarters and respond to the charges.

Hau's campaign spokeswoman Jen Hsiao-chi (任孝琦) said in a telephone interview that the campaign has responded previously to the issues raised and therefore further comment was unnecessary.

However, she said it was impossible that Hau had tried to "bribe" people with food as he had only brought a pot of red bean soup to the sit-in, and such a small amount would not have gone far.

She also said there had not been barbecues at the Dajia event and that campaign staffers had tried to discourage people from having barbecue in the park earlier that day.