Liu Yen-li (劉彥澧), head of the Taichung Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, resigned last night over controversy that he took a day off of work to play in a Texas hold’em tournament.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) this morning said that she respects Liu’s decision and accepted his resignation.
A photograph of Liu playing cards at the tournament was posted on Facebook by political commentator Wen Lan-tung (溫朗東), garnering more than 800 comments in less than 24 hours.
Photo from Wen Lan-tung’s Facebook page
In the post, Wen said that "many Texas hold'em venues are run by gangs and scammers."
Liu told reporters that he asked for leave according to the city government’s regulations to attend the “legal, formal competition championship” held last month.
The tournament involved "more than a thousand players" and was organized by the Chinese Texas Hold'em Poker Club, Liu said, adding that although there was a registration fee and cash prizes, it did not constitute illegal gambling under Taiwanese law.
He has participated in similar tournaments more than 10 times on his days off, Liu said.
Due to his public position, he would consider not participating in similar events in the future, he said.
The Democratic Progressive Party Taichung City Council caucus questioned whether the game was more important to Liu than city governance and suggested that he resign.
After due consideration, Liu decided to resign due to public opinion about his participation in the competition and so his actions would not affect the city government, he said.
The Taichung City Government has always held itself to high standards, the mayor said.
Liu showed responsibility for his actions and firmly submitted his resignation, Lu said, adding that she respects his decision.
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