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Iruan says goodbye to Taiwan

Taiwanese-Brazilian boy Iruan Ergui Wu is seen off by his uncle, Wu Huo-yen, center, Wu Huo-yen's wife, Lee Su-hua, left, and KMT Legislator Lin Yi-shih, second left, at the Hsiaokang airport in Kaohsiung yesterday. PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES

Taiwanese-Brazilian boy Iruan Ergui Wu (吳憶樺) finally said goodbye to his Taiwanese family and friends yesterday and headed to Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Brazil Business Center Director Paulo Pinto, his wife, Iruan's aunt Lee Su-hua (李素華), the Wus' lawyer Wu Chiu-li (吳秋麗), Iruan's support group leader Liu Tsung-chuan (劉宗權) and Iruan boarded a China Airlines flight leaving at 12:55pm from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong.

From Hong Kong, the group was to fly to Johannesburg, South Africa, then on to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and finally to Iruan's home of Porto Alegre.

They were scheduled to arrive at Porto Alegre around 10pm today.

Holding hands with his aunt, Iruan did not say a word or shed a tear when he passed through customs at the airport.

Iruan's uncle, Wu Huo-yen (吳火眼), came to the airport to see him off yesterday. He still had plenty of complaints about the government and Brazilian diplomats.

"The government never helps," Wu said. "I am hereby crying out loud to these government officials. Help!"

Wu's complaint contradicts an earlier statement in which he said, "Everybody should respect a court order or decision."

He also complained that Pinto and other Brazilian diplomats did not update him with their latest schedule.

"They at least should tell me when they are leaving. In addition, they should ask me whether Iruan needs anything else from home. And they should at least send somebody to our residence to pick up some additional luggage for Iruan. But none of this happened," he said.

Wu had tried to change the times for the boy's departure and tried three times to postpone the handover of the boy without negotiating with Brazilian diplomats, who were representing Iruan's grandmother, Rosa Ergui.

According to a court order, the handover of the boy should have been carried out last Friday.

"I wish him well on every aspect of his life," Wu said of the boy.

Wu then left the airport with tears in his eyes and had no further comment.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chung-mo (林重謨) held a press conference yesterday morning to condemn Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yi-shih (林益世) for taking advantage of the case to promote himself for the legislative election set for the end of the year.

"I do not understand why Kaohsiung natives would elect him as a lawmaker," Lin Chung-mo said. "Lin Yi-shih's attitude goes against the law. He disrespected the court order and disgraced the Legislative Yuan. What he did also hurt Iruan, too."

Lin Chung-mo was complaining about Lin Yi-shih having stayed with the Wus to fight the court order.

"All he wants is to show his face on TV so more people will know him and feel that `He is really speaking out for us Kaohsiung natives,'" Lin Chung-mo said. "All this is for the election."

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) said police need better training to handle such enforcement missions.

On Monday, police efforts to retrieve Iruan were stymied by a mob of reporters and neighbors who surrounded the police as they left the Wu residence with the kicking and screaming boy.

"They were too rude to pull the boy away the other day," Chen said. "That might have hurt the boy."
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