Independent New Taipei City Councilor Adrean Lee (李婉鈺) yesterday apologized for an incident at a car wash on Tuesday where she was caught on film slapping a man and confronting several other people.
Witnesses have said that Lee was rambling when she entered the car wash in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), asking for “one more drink,” and telling people that she was a city councilor.
Lee posted a statement on Wednesday on Facebook saying that she had had too much to drink, had no recollection of the incident, but was very sorry for having interrupted the festivities of others by her actions.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
She told reporters yesterday that she had to make more than 10 public appearances per day during the Mid-Autumn Festival period and there was drinking involved at every one.
Lee said she was in the habit of pulling over if she was driving to greet friends if she saw them on the sidewalk.
However, she said that on Tuesday she “did not know that she was drunk” and did not expect such an incident to occur.
She said she only realized she had gotten into a scuffle with others when she woke up on Wednesday and found bruises and scratches on her body, adding that she had no recollection of the night before.
Regardless, she was in the wrong and so she wanted to extend her apologies to those who supported her and the people who she had upset, she said.
Debate on the Internet over the incident escalated yesterday as people traded insults on Lee’s Facebook page.
Some people posted that Lee was of no benefit to the municipality and was living off the people she is supposed to be serving by barging into their private parties.
One person wrote that given her drinking habits, Lee should be working as a bar hostess, where she might better serve Banciao residents.
That post drew a response from the administrator, who wrote: “Shut your foul mouth, bitch.”
When others posted that government officials should behave better when responding to the public, Lee or someone posting as her, replied that the individual had been the first to start the name-calling.
Other netizens said they had not expected city councilors to act so emotionally outside city hall.
Lee told reporters yesterday that she took full responsibility for all comments posted on her Facebook page, but that the comment suggesting that she should work at a bar was a personal affront and she would seek legal action against the person who made the comment.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
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
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS