Outside the political sphere, there is probably no one in Taiwan who gets as much publicity as Siamese twins Chang Chung-jen (
The celebration recalled a familiar scene two decades ago in an operating room of the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH,
The operation on Sept. 10, 1979, was significant because it was expected to become the world's first separation of male Siamese twins joined at the hip and born with three legs. The operation was successful and made medical history.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Unlike the large number of live TV reports today, local television stations at that time made very few real-time broadcasts except for baseball games involving teams from Taiwan in the Little League World Series each year.
Because of the publicity, Chung-jen and Chung-yi became household names and their photos before and after the operation were on the front page of every newspaper, with some still hanging on a wall at NTUH.
After a lapse of 20 years, the twins, now 23, yesterday gathered with the doctors who performed the operation in a celebration at NTUH of the 20th anniversary of the event.
National Taiwan University President Chen Wei-jao (
"The two brothers continue to make contributions to society. Chung-jen, for instance, now donates NT$800 monthly to a charity organization to help a girl in China."
Chen said, however, that "the pity is that they lack care and concern from their parents."
The parents of the brothers have been out of contact with them for years, leaving them to live on their own. They are supported by donations from the public.
Both said that they miss their parents.
In a documentary self-produced by the two brothers highlighting episodes in their life after the surgical separation, Chung-yi, the younger, sent a message to his parents that he still loves them despite all that has happened.
The documentary, made public for the first time, is an emotional film, with the two brothers using Celine Dion's theme song from the movie Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On," as the background music.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
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