Taiwan political candidate apologizes after report he threw phone at aide

Wen Shih-cheng, a Democratic Progressive Party candidate for Nantou county magistrate, apologized after a person identifying himself as Wen’s former aide said Wen threw a mobile phone at him during an internal meeting.

The former aide wrote on Threads that the incident occurred on Aug. 16. He said Wen became angry during the meeting, threw the phone toward him, and later asked why Wen could throw a phone at him. He then asked a family member to take him away from Nantou.

Wen later acknowledged that he had felt frustrated and anxious because some campaign matters had not been handled properly. He said he failed to manage his emotions appropriately and threw the phone to the side, affecting the aide. Wen said the action made the other person feel frightened and uneasy, and accepted responsibility. He said he had apologized by phone and message the next day and was apologizing publicly again.

The former aide said the initial apology had not made him feel reassured and described the incident as violent treatment. Wen said he had not intended to threaten or pressure him and promised to be more careful in handling election stress. Online responses included praise for apologizing and acknowledging wrongdoing, as well as criticism urging Wen to treat the incident as a warning.