Challenger Shen Pao-yang: My Focus Is on 'Municipal Affairs'

(CNA, Taipei, 20th, by reporter Liu Chien-pang) Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, along with KMT New Taipei City mayoral candidate Lee Ssu-chuan, inspected a negative pressure smoking room in Taipei today. In response, DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Pao-yang said that who Chiang Wan-an 'teams up' with is his personal freedom, and as a challenger, his own focus is on 'municipal affairs.' Accompanied by DPP legislators Wu Szu-yao and Wu Pei-yi, Shen Pao-yang visited the DPP's Taipei City Council caucus today. Regarding Chiang Wan-an 'teaming up' with Lee Ssu-chuan in Taipei to inspect the negative pressure smoking room, Shen responded in a joint media interview after the meeting, saying he has always felt that who Chiang Wan-an wants to team up with or his campaign support schedule are all his personal freedom. As a challenger, his focus is on 'municipal affairs.' As for the smokeless city policy, Shen believes a more reasonable term is 'smoke-free environment,' as the goal is to prevent the public from inhaling secondhand smoke. Shen continued, stating that the implementation of such measures in countries around the world follows a sequence, such as evaluating neighborhoods and the locations of smoking rooms. If the locations are too far, it might affect smokers' willingness to use them. He also questioned whether a real-time query system should be provided or if incentives for using smoking rooms should be offered. If this is a policy that citizens need, it is of course a good thing, but he believes it can be 'made even better.' Additionally, Mayor Chiang Wan-an attended an event for KMT Yilan County Magistrate candidate Wu Tsung-hsien in Yilan yesterday, proposing 'dual park cooperation' between the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park and the Yilan Science Park. In response, Shen stated that the development of the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park must face and solve traffic difficulties, as well as power supply issues. He noted that many DPP councilors have raised their views on this issue. 'So, before cooperating with others, this urgent matter should be resolved first,' which is more important. He added that he will report relevant solutions to the citizens later. (Editor: Huang Ming-hsi)