Reporters from the controversial weekly magazine Next collided with the car of a local actress' male friend this weekend while tailing him. Both sides are threatening to sue.
The magazine has threatened to sue Lin Chin-lung (
Hsiao's friend said their relentless tailing was a violation of his rights.
Reporters from the magazine had been following Lin for two weeks. They believe Lin, a married man and owner of a cement company, is having an affair with Hsiao.
Lin collided with the reporters' car in Hsintien and reported the case to the Ankang police Sunday night.
Lin insists that he and Hsiao are just friends and that he was afraid the people who were following him were trying to kidnap him. He said that, to save himself, he decided to attract attention by colliding with the car that was tailing him.
Hsiao has been a principal target of the magazine. Rumors about her personal life and love affairs with politicians and business leaders have circulated for years with little proof. During the magazine's advertising campaign, one of its ads, which featured a woman who was pristine during the day and sleazy at night, was believed to be depicting Hsiao.
Lin's attorney, Lin Hsien-tung (林憲同), said that a decision to file suit would be made after negotiations were held with the magazine's representatives yesterday afternoon. But the attorney later told the Taipei Times that the magazine's executive editor, Pei Wei (裴偉), was too busy to hold negotiations yesterday.
Pei's secretary, however, said that they had not received a call from Lin's attorney. The magazine is considering filing a suit to collect on damages incurred as a result of the collision.
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