In the middle of lovers' games

When the eight-year-old son of Chinese-Canadian ex-model Lee San-san (李珊珊) saw a picture of his father in the papers just over a week ago, it was only the second time the child remembered seeing him, Lee said.

The 33-year-old mother returned to the limelight last week when she filed a claim for child support from former boyfriend Chiu Wei-Lun (邱偉倫). She alleges she and Chiu had a six-month affair eight years ago at which time she became pregnant. The relationship ended prior to the birth of her child and apart from a few bank deposits and four visits Lee said Chiu has, in her own words, "never accepted his responsibility as a father."

A generous amount of media attention has been lavished on the Lee San-san story, but what isn't splashed all over the newspapers are the number of low-profile cases.

In fact a significant number of women have children with married men and often pregnancy is one way of making the relationship more secure, said Josephine Ho (何春蕤), English professor and director of the Center for the Study of Sexuality at National Central University in Taipei.

"There are no statistics on it, but it's a big issue for several women in Taiwan," Ho said.

The Taipei District Court would not release any figures for the number of cases in Taipei City last year, but Lee Zhao-huan (李兆環) a lawyer specializing in family law, said in recent years she has represented a significant number of single mothers seeking financial support for their children born out of wedlock to married men. Lee, who is also chairperson of the Taipei Association for the Promotion of Women's Rights (台北市女性權益促進會), said that, unlike Lee, her cases are not high profile and are seldom page one news.

Zhong Yong-sheng (鍾永盛) is also familiar with the legal procedure. He's currently handling the Lee case and he is the same lawyer who represented the two women who successfully sued Taiwanese singers Qi-qing (齊秦) and Wang Wen-yao (王文堯) for child support in separate cases. Celebrity or not, Zhong said, "It doesn't matter how famous the person involved is, the most important thing is the DNA test."

Article 1067 of the Taiwan civil code states that a child born out of wedlock, or the mother or other statutory agent may claim acknowledgment from the natural father if paternity can be proved. DNA testing is the most common method used to prove paternity. Acknowledgment entails financial support, the amount of which is to be determined by the judge.

During an interview with the Taipei Times, Lee said Chiu's initial reaction to her pregnancy was to "run away as soon as I told him."

But because she was in love with him at the time, she said she believed after the initial shock had passed he would accept his responsibility as the father of her child.

Eight years later she said she is still waiting. "He does have financial responsibilities that he has to deal with. Mostly I just want him to face his son -- to accept his son and let him call him `Dad' and give him a big hug. And to know that sometimes he must make visits and give support to my son," she said.

Lee's case is all over the papers because it involves a well-known family in Taiwan. Chiu is the son of Tsan Tai construction company (贊泰建設) chairman Chiu Jia-hsiung (邱嘉雄). Chiu Jia-hsiung made headlines earlier this year when his 22-year-extra-marital affair with actress Lin Yue-yun (林月雲) was highlighted in local newspapers.