Taichung official defends participation in workday poker tournament

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) A senior official in the Taichung City government responded on Tuesday to accusations that he took part in a Texas Hold'em poker tournament during work hours, saying that the event was a legal competition he attended on his day off.

Liu Yen-li (劉彥澧), director of Taichung's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, told reporters that he "asked for leave" from his duties according to the city government's regulations to attend the "legal, formal competition championship" in January this year.

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, this did not constitute illegal gambling under Taiwanese law.

Speaking after a city council meeting, the Kuomintang (KMT) politician explained that he had played in more than 10 poker tournaments over the years, but only ever participated outside of work hours or on days off from work.

Despite this, Liu said he would consider no longer attending such events because he did not want his "personal actions to lead to political attacks."

The official was responding to accusations by political commentator Wen Lang-tung (溫朗東) on Facebook on Monday that he "went to play cards on a work day."

The post, which garnered more than 800 comments in less than 24 hours, said that "many Texas Hold'em venues are run by gangs and scammers" and included a picture of the city official seated at a competition event poker table.

Wen also criticized Liu's wife, KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯). "Why don't you care about your own husband?" he wrote.

Hsu responded to the political furor on Tuesday, saying in a news statement that Wen's "narrative" was false.

"The Texas Hold'em Poker Championship is a legal competition, not gambling," she said. Gambling in Taiwan is illegal under Taiwan's Criminal Code.

"I hope that everyone will not stigmatize intellectual competitive activities approved by international sports federations for political reasons," she added.

However, Hsu also said that "civil servants going to such places could indeed cause a negative social perception" and hoped that her husband would "reflect" on his actions.