《TAIPEI TIMES》 Fight breaks out at Kaohsiung council

‘EMBARRASSING’: The NPP’s Huang Jie denounced the use of a drawing to determine who could question the mayor at the session, which is to be used again today

By Ko Yu-hao, Huang Chia-lin and Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporters, with staff writer

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A scuffle erupted between Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） and Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） city councilors yesterday after DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Cheng Meng-ju （鄭孟洳） attempted to hand a mock resignation letter to Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu （韓國瑜）.

After Han delivered a report at a meeting of the Kaohsiung City Council, the DPP caucus was the first to question Han.

Cheng, who was the first to speak, asked Han whether he could promise not to take time off on Nov. 12, when the council is to have a question-and-answer session.

Han, the KMT’s candidate in the presidential election on Jan. 11 next year, said that he had no such plans.

“If you want to run for president ... then please focus on campaigning and resign as mayor,” Cheng said.

Cheng then presented the mock resignation letter, which was written as if it was drafted by Han.

Carrying the letter, which was printed on a poster board, she then began to walk across the room toward Han.

However, before she could reach him, KMT city councilors stopped her, at which point other DPP city councilors joined in the confrontation.

After shoving and shouting by members of both sides, Kaohsiung City Council Deputy Speaker Lu Shu-mei （陸淑美） of the KMT called a five-minute recess at the urging of DPP city councilors.

When the meeting resumed, the DPP caucus asked for an additional five minutes to make up for the time that was lost due to the recess, but Lu denied the request, leading to another altercation.

After the meeting, DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Lee Chiao-ju （李喬如） was heckled by a woman at a news conference held by the DPP caucus to condemn the KMT city councilors’ behavior.

Meanwhile, the KMT caucus hosted its own news conference to condemn the DPP city councilors’ behavior.

Earlier yesterday, New Power Party （NPP） Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie （黃捷） said that it was the “most embarrassing day” in the history of the body, as city councilors were asked to draw numbers out of a box to determine which 12 of the 51 who had registered to ask the mayor questions in the afternoon would be able to do so.

KMT city councilors secured seven spots, DPP city councilors five, while NPP and independent city councilors were unable to question Han.

City councilors would be given another opportunity to draw today, the city council said.

Additional reporting by Wang Jung-hsiang

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES