Sat, Nov 22, 2003 page1

• Prosecutors question VCD actors, PFP's Soong sued

  `SPECIAL REPORT' The actors in the VCDs that lampoon pan-blue camp members said they did nothing wrong, as more slander suits were filed

  • By Jimmy Chuang / STAFF REPORTER
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  Taipei prosecutors yesterday summoned five actors and actresses in the Special Report series of VCDs that mock members of the pan-blue camp.

  Meanwhile, Lu Tung-long (盧統隆), head of Bi-sheng Broadcasting Ltd (必勝傳播公司), the company that produced the VCDs, filed a slander suit against People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) for comments he made about the VCDs.

  The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office decided to summon the five entertainers who performed in the VCDs -- actor Andy (安迪), actress Wang Hsiao-fen (王小芬), Miss Taiwan Chen Si-yu (陳思羽), actor Peng Hsiang-ying (彭祥瑛) and singer Lo Shih-feng (羅時豐) -- because PFP Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) had filed a slander suit against them.

  Chen asked to be excused, but the others reported to the closed-door hearing, the first in the case.

  Andy told reporters before the questioning that he did not understand what he had done wrong and hoped that the judicial system would help him clear his name.

  "I was only doing my job as I was told," Andy said. "If prosecutors believe that what I did violated the law, I will take the responsibility for what I have done."

  Wang said she regretted that she had joined the cast and that she would not perform in similar productions in the future.

  Peng insisted that the series of VCDs were simply soap-opera style performances and said he did not understand why he could be sued for doing his job as an actor.

  Lo said that his agent arranged the job for him and he did not know anything except his character in the VCDs.

  "My agent arranged the performances for me. My performances did not attack anybody or anything because I, as a character in the VCDs, was only introducing Hakka culture to the public," Lo said. "I have no idea who was in charge of the cast or the company."

  While the actors were being interrogated by prosecutors, Lu arrived at the prosecutors' office with his lawyer, Johnson Chuang (莊勝榮), to file a slander suit against Soong, asking for NT$240 million in compensation. He said Soong's criticism of the VCDs was slanderous.

  At a press conference on Thursday, Lu said he was head of Bi-sheng Broadcasting, which was the producer of the VCDs, and showed a license he said had been issued by the Taipei City Government. He said that his company had done nothing wrong or illegal by producing the VCDs.

  Chiu, who was ridiculed in the first VCD, held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan to apologize to cartoonist Yu-fu (魚夫) and Soochow University political professor Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), whom he had accused of writing the script for Special Report.

  "I do not have any evidence to prove that they are the screen writers of Special Report. As a result, I would like to apologize to them for my false accusation," Chiu said.

  However, Chiu said that his slander suit against Yu-fu would stand unless Yu-fu apologizes to him as well.

  On Wednesday, Yu-fu implied that Chiu had embezzled NT$80 million since he became a lawmaker two years ago.

  Chiu said that he had evidence to prove that he had the NT$80 million before he became a lawmaker.

  "He [Yu-fu] will definitely lose the suit if he does not apologize to me," Chiu said.
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