Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Committee member Chiang Fang Chih-yi (蔣方智怡) yesterday defended her son Andrew Chiang (蔣友青) amid his disputes with the Taipei American School (TAS), but said the family expected him to take responsibility for his acts.
“My child is the most precious thing in my life and nothing can compare with him. I love Andrew and we hope that we can give him space and opportunity to take his responsibility,” she said in a statement.
Chiang Fang is the widow of former president Chiang Ching-kuo’s (蔣經國) third son, Chiang Hsiao-yung (蔣孝勇). Her three sons, Demos Chiang (蔣友柏), Edward Chiang (蔣友常) and Andrew Chiang, have found themselves at the center of media attention for being the young generation of the Chiang family.
She issued the statement after Andrew Chiang was released on bail on Friday over accusations that he made explicit threats against the TAS.
The school filed charges against him for allegedly disseminating comments via Facebook and e-mail since August stating his intention to harm the school, especially its administrators.
The 23-year-old great-grandson of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) yesterday again shrugged off his verbal threats to the school on Facebook and appeared upset about the interrogation on Friday.
In response to media queries, he accused the school of ignoring spine and ankle injuries he suffered during football games three years ago while a student there, and blamed his family for a lack of support and understanding.
“Demos thinks that I should not be with his family in my mental condition and it hurts me. He loves me, but he is not on my side. I told him that he is always hurting me,” he said. “I also try to communicate with my mom via Edward. Because my mom always blames me for everything.”
Chiang Fang has remained low-key over her son’s incident. Some KMT members said that she may choose not to attend the party’s national congress today in Greater Taichung because of the incident.
Demos Chiang, who is known for his outspokenness and open criticism of the old KMT regime, has also maintained a low profile in response to the issue.
In response to media queries yesterday, he simply said that his youngest brother “is an adult and he can say whatever he wants.”
Andrew Chiang was born in 1990 in Canada, the country his parents emigrated to after then-president Chiang Ching-kuo died in early 1988.
As a young child, he spent most of his time in the US and would only appear in the news when attending weddings or funerals in Taiwan, including the one in 2004 for his grandmother Chiang Fang-liang (蔣方良).
It is not known exactly when he started attending TAS, but in August 2010, he had a brief run-in with the law.
Working on a tip that someone was peddling marijuana in an open market in an upscale neighborhood in northern Taipei, officers took him in for questioning.
He was later released without being charged after the authorities found him in possession of some flavored tobacco, but no drugs.
If he is officially charged with the crime of threatening TAS, he faces up to two years in prison.
Additional reporting by CNA
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS