A Briton living in Kaohsiung has become the talk of the town after appearing in public yesterday with the Chinese characters for “Taiwan” tattooed on his forehead, saying that he regretted having had it done while intoxicated.
Initial reports said the tattoo was the result of a misunderstanding between the tattooist and a foreigner, who was identified by some media as being British. The Briton reportedly visited a local tattoo shop on Friday after getting drunk and made what he later called a “rash decision.”
A tattoo artist posted a photo of the man’s face online on Saturday, saying that he came to his shop seeking ways to remove or modify the tattoo.
Photo courtesy of Wei Cheng
Because the tattoo covers a large area, the artist said he did not know how to modify the tattoo and turned to the Internet for help.
The post attracted mixed reactions. Some people criticized the person who tattooed “Taiwan” on the man’s forehead for lacking professionalism and ethical conduct.
The Briton was interviewed by reporters yesterday, saying he “felt embarrassed” and that it was a foolish decision that he regretted.
He has reportedly been living in Taiwan for 13 years with his Taiwanese wife and owns a bar in Kaohsiung.
However, the man who has been identified as the one who made the tattoo, Wei Cheng (韋丞), told reporters yesterday that there was no misunderstanding, saying that he had double-checked with the client, but that he had seemed sure about his decision.
“Though reeking of alcohol, the man spoke clearly and answered my questions without ambiguity. We discussed where he wanted to place the two characters before I asked him again, ‘Do you really want to tattoo it on your face?’ He insisted that was what he wanted,” Wei said.
It took him two hours to finish the job, Wei said, adding that the man seemed happy and satisfied with the results.
The Briton said that he was drunk at the time and did not know what he was doing, adding that his wife was furious.
However, he appeared certain of his love for Taiwan.
Speaking in Mandarin with reporters, he said he supports Taiwanese independence and that Taiwan belongs to neither China nor the Republic of China.
He also has a tattoo of a pro-independence flag on his arm — and chin.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS