Movie star Jackie Chan (成龍) says he will stay away from Taiwan for four years to avoid protests over remarks he made calling last year's presidential elections a joke, TVBS reported yesterday.
At a news conference in China last year, the action hero said Taiwan's disputed presidential election was ``the biggest joke in the world,'' provoking calls from politicians in this country to ban his movies.
In an interview in Cannes with TVBS broadcast yesterday, Chan said he wanted to avoid Taiwan for the time being.
"If I come, some people might organize something at the airport," Chan said, alluding to recent political protests at CKS International Airport.
Chan said he was hurt by the reaction to his remarks.
``I love Taiwan so much. I'm a person who likes Taiwan so much. I have done so many things in Taiwan, but then I get this result,'' he said.
The Hong Kong-born entertainer, who is married to a Taiwanese actress, was hugely popular in Taiwan, and has visited frequently. He has appeared in commercials on behalf of the police and an anti-smoking charity.
Meanwhile, Chan will front a controversial series of Chinese national anthem broadcasts aimed at promoting patriotism in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday.
He is one of a group of celebrities who will appear in one-minute broadcasts to go out on Chinese-language TV channels before news bulletins, starting next Monday.
Chan will speak briefly on the history of the Chinese national anthem before the anthem is broadcast to a flag-waving backdrop, according to the report.
The broadcasts, introduced in the wake of pro-democracy protests in the territory, have been criticized by activists as "brainwashing" by China.
Daniel Heung (香灼璣), chairman of the government's Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education, told the paper the broadcasts would improve the public's knowledge about China.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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