Former Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) will not decide whether to join next year’s Taipei mayoral election based on polling results of his support rates, his aide said.
Lien, son of former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), last week said that he plans to announce his decision on whether to join the race next month.
Although declining to confirm his candidacy, Sean Lien has made more frequent visits to borough wardens, city councilors and grass-roots groups in Taipei, in addition to meeting recently with the press at private gatherings.
While his possible opponents in the pan-green camp — National Taiwan University Hospital physician Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and lawyer Wellington Koo (顧立雄) — have been stepping up campaigning for their Taipei bids, the 43-year-old Sean Lien will maintain his pace and polls will not affect his decision, his special assistant William Hsu (徐弘庭) said.
Recent opinion polls have suggested that Sean Lien is the favorite to win the Taipei mayoral race, while showing that support for Ko, an independent, is much higher than for other candidates in the pan-green camp.
For the younger Lien, his wealthy background and complicated political and financial connections are issues to be considered in his candidacy bid, in addition to personal safety concerns.
In an interview with FTV on Tuesday night, Lien Chan said he would support his son’s candidacy bid if he decides to run.
As to the KMT reportedly urging Sean Lien to move out of his residence in The Palace (帝寶), a luxury apartment complex in Taipei, Lien Chan said that he and his wife had purchased the apartment unit and asked Sean Lien to move in for security after he was shot in the cheek in 2010 during a campaign rally in New Taipei City (新北市).
In response to concerns that his wealth would have a negative impact on a campaign, Hsu said the apartment was registered under Lien Chan’s wife’s, Lien Fang-yu (連方瑀), name and that Sean Lien did not own the property.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
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