Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday confirmed that Taipei City Government consultant Liu Chia-jen (劉嘉仁), who has been accused of sexually harassing Taipei City Government deputy spokeswoman Huang Ching-ying, has resigned from his post.
A local Chinese-language newspaper on Thursday reported that Taipei Research, Development and Evaluation Commission chairman Yu Chia-che (余家哲) told Ko in a meeting that Liu allegedly sexually harassed Huang.
The newspaper reported that Liu allegedly asked Huang to go to his office to discuss work-related issues. The meeting was held behind closed doors, causing Huang to feel insecure.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Liu also allegedly sent Huang several text messages using the Line messaging app.
The report stated that Huang declined to comment, while Liu said the discussions and messages were about work arrangements. The media report also quoted Yu as saying that Ko ordered that the two individuals not to be assigned to the same projects anymore.
At the Taipei City Council on Thursday, Liu said he strongly denies the sexual harassment accusations and that he was only discussing work-related duties with Huang.
Liu yesterday issued a statement that offered his resignation from his post. The statement also said that he is deeply confident that he is innocent.
He stated that he had worked in the healthcare service industry for 20 years before starting work at the city government few months ago, adding that he is grateful that Ko has agreed to hold an independent investigation into the case.
In another question-and-answer session at the Taipei City Council yesterday afternoon, New Party Taipei City Councilor Ho Han-ting (侯漢廷) asked about Liu’s resignation.
Ko said he has asked Deputy Taipei Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) to set up a task force to investigate the case and that the process may take up to a month.
Rather than keeping Liu at his post for a month, it would be better to approve his resignation and then discuss options after the investigation is complete, he added.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
RSS