Lee Sichuan's Facebook Post Caught Altering Content! Weng Chen-chou Slams: Falsifying 921 Memory to Rescue Election Chances

KMT New Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Sichuan, after recently being questioned over confusing 'bus 307 taking the highway,' is now embroiled in controversy over the timeline of his Facebook post regarding the 921 earthquake. Lee claimed in a recent video, 'In the year of 921, I was serving in Taipei County,' a statement challenged by New Taipei Councilor Weng Chen-chou. Weng pointed out that the 921 earthquake occurred in 1999, when Taipei County Magistrate was Su Tseng-chang, while Lee did not join the Taipei County Government until 2007—over seven years apart. On the 26th, Weng strongly criticized Lee for quietly editing the post after the timeline error was exposed, calling it an attempt to 'falsify 921 memory to rescue election chances.'

Lee Sichuan was not serving in Taipei County Government during the 921 earthquake

Weng stated that Lee's original post read, 'In the year of 921, I was serving in Taipei County; her home was rebuilt during that time.' However, public records show that Lee was not employed by the Taipei County Government at the time of the 921 earthquake. After the 'Doctor's Home' in Xinzhuang collapsed during the quake, reconstruction efforts were led by then-Taipei County Magistrate Su Tseng-chang and his administration. The rebuilding project began in 2002 and was completed in October 2004—years before Lee joined the county government in 2007.

Weng noted that after media and netizens spotted the timeline inconsistency, Lee revised the post to say, 'In the year when reconstruction began after the 921 earthquake, I was serving in Taipei County,' attempting to shift the timeline forward. However, Weng observed that the post's opening and video cover still retain phrases like '27 years ago' and 'someone remembered me for 27 years,' raising doubts that the original narrative remains intact despite the text change.

Weng questioned what specific reconstruction work Lee actually contributed to, given that the Doctor's Home project started in 2002 and finished in 2004. He also asked whether this claim might become another 'Tamsui Grandma'-style controversy, referencing past political exaggerations.

Weng criticized Lee's team for swiftly editing social media content after being challenged. While text can be altered, he emphasized, historical timelines cannot change. He stressed that politicians must respect facts and should not appropriate achievements from previous administrations for electoral image-building.

Weng slammed, 'You can't rush to harvest the accomplishments of past county and city leaders just because your election prospects are dire and keep slapping gold leaf on your face.' He concluded, 'Changing words won't fix the timeline; history won't change just because a Facebook post is edited.'