Although the true identity of a Taiwanese woman who was reportedly taken to the US as an indentured servant remains unknown, Taiwanese compatriots in Los Angeles say they know her by the name Hsiao-feng (曉鳳), a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said yesterday.
Some Taiwanese have provided clues regarding the identity of the woman to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles, but those have yet to be verified, Bruce Linghu (令狐榮達), director-general of the Department of North American Affairs, told a media briefing in Taipei.
Linghu said TECO officials had met representatives from the Community Service Program, the US organization that is taking care of the woman — known by the pseudonym “Isabel” in a CNN report — adding that the ministry wished to help her reunite with her family.
Photo: Chen Hsien-i, Taipei Times
TECO officials have yet to contact Isabel because the social worker who handles her case is on leave for a few days, Linghu said, adding that they hope to meet her by next week.
CNN reported earlier this month that Isabel had been sold by her impoverished parents to a wealthy Taiwanese family at the age of seven, and the family later moved to California.
Isabel said she was forced to live in a garage and often fed spoiled food, as well as suffering physical abuse, before she eventually managed to escape the family, CNN reported.
In the report, Isabel said she would like to find her mother.
Two families in Taiwan have claimed Isabel as a member since her story made headlines.
Ho Hsiao-ying (何曉英), a Paiwan resident in Taitung County, said Isabel was her sister, named Hsiao-feng. Another woman, Chi Mei-chou (紀美周), in Hsinchu City, claims Isabel is her daughter.
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