Officials from the Ilan District Prosecutors' Office said that they are having a DNA test made on the body of veteran entertainer Ni Min-jan (倪敏然) in order to make a final confirmation of his identity.
Prosecutors said that they already collected DNA samples from Ni and his two younger sisters, Ni Chien-chien (倪茜茜) and Ni Bei-bei (倪蓓蓓), on Sunday evening.
The DNA samples were immediately sent to the Prosecutors' Office for the Taiwan High Court (高檢署). The results are expected to be released within the next few days.
On Sunday afternoon, police at Ilan's Toucheng Township received a report about a male who had hanged himself on a tree in an abandoned orchard. They found Ni's identification in his wallet, indicating the body was that of the comedian.
Ni had been dead for about 10 days when he was found, and his face and body had swollen and could hardly be recognized by family members. A DNA test was therefore necessary to confirm his identity.
Ni had reportedly been missing for more than two weeks. He admitted that he had suffered from depression and had trouble sleeping. Ni was having financial and family problems. He was experiencing a low point in his acting career, while having an extramarital affair with Chinese actress Xia Yi (夏禕) who now works in Taiwan.
Although Xia repeatedly denied the rumored affair, she admitted it during a telephone interview with the tabloid Apple Daily on Sunday. According to Xia, she dated Ni for a while after he told her that he had already divorced his second wife, Lee Li-hua (李麗華). Lee herself was also a well-known actress before she married Ni and retired in 1985. But Xia broke up with Ni after she found out that he had not really divorced his wife.
"I was also reluctant to give up," Xia said. "But he had a family. How could I possibly be with him?"
"Let's not talk about this anymore since he has gone," Xia said. "Maybe he had no choice but to lie about his marital status. But he was still a good man."
But Yu Tien (
"Ni did not cover up his marital status from Xia. She should have come back as soon as possible to clarify the matter," Yu complained to the media.
Yu confirmed that Ni did have some financial difficulties, and had recently borrowed NT$300,000 from him to pay his debts.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS