Female Kaohsiung candidate punches Mayor Ma in face

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was assaulted by an independent Kaohsiung city council candidate yesterday while campaigning for his party's mayoral candidate in the city.

During a campaign event for KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英) Chang Ho-yi (張禾宜) rushed toward Ma and punched him in the face chanting "Ma Ying-jeou step down."

Immediately after the incident, Ma was escorted away by bodyguards.

He said it was a minor attack and that he would not consider hiring additional bodyguards.

"It was simply a campaign tactic," Ma said while campaigning for the party's Taipei city councilor candidate in Nankang.

Chang yesterday held a press conference where she accused Ma of "conniving with his bodyguards to commit physical abuse," claiming this had resulted in her suffering multiple bruising.