Taipei's city government quietly dismantled a fenced street-corner smoking area after months of public mockery, handing a political opening to opposition candidates ahead of the mayoral race.

• The smoking zone at a busy Taipei intersection, nicknamed an "open-air prison" for its fencing, was removed with no explanation from city hall.
• DPP mayoral candidate Puma Shen said the city dodged questions for months, then simply tore the thing down instead of answering.
• He backs a smoke-free city but says it needs real planning, pointing to British-style smoking shelters and cigarette-butt voting bins as better designs.
• The fence joins a growing list of complaints against Mayor Chiang's administration, including a multi-million-NT parasol and repeated child abuse cases.
• Criticism has crossed party lines, but changes only come after public anger boils over.

Outlook: Expect city planning missteps to become a running attack line as Taipei's mayoral campaign heats up.