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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taipei mayor vows restraint after ‘bastards’ remarks
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, center, laughs while talking to reporters during a visit to the Taipei Tennis Center in Neihu District yesterday. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） yesterday admitted that calling pension reform protesters “bastards” was impulsive, saying that he would restrain himself.
On Sunday, Ko called the protesters who prevented athletes from entering the Taipei Municipal Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Taipei Summer Universiade on Saturday “bastards” at a news conference as he addressed security issues associated with the incident.
The mayor on Monday again referred to the protesters as “bastards” in a reply to a netizen’s comment on Facebook, with a Taipei City Government spokesman saying that Ko thought the protesters intentionally disrupted a significant international event that was supposed to be celebrated by the nation.
Ko’s reply received more than 480,000 likes before the comment was deleted by the netizen on Tuesday, but his choice of the term “bastards” became controversial and the subject has been widely discussed by political figures.
Asked about the remarks during a visit yesterday morning to the Taipei Tennis Center to express his gratitude to Universiade staff, Ko said: “Although I am Taipei mayor, I am also a citizen.”
“I know I was too straightforward, which is different from the traditional officialdom that values the virtues of being mild, kindhearted, polite and patient,” Ko said. “I will restrain myself in the future.”
He said that he knew something was wrong when athletes stopped entering the venue during the ceremony, adding that after waiting for a few minutes, he walked to a higher place and saw the situation unfolding outside.
“I immediately called the Taipei Police Department on the National Security Bureau director-general’s cellphone and asked that arrests be made,” Ko said.
The mayor said he would not rule out placing barricades outside the venue of the Universiade’s closing ceremony if intelligence reports indicate that groups will protest.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
