Pop singer Selina Jen (任家萱) of the popular girl band S.H.E. made her first public appearance yesterday, months after she was seriously burned in China during the shooting of an explosion scene for a TV show.
“Sorry for making everyone so worried. I can finally go home today,” Selina said with tears and a smile to a conference hall packed with reporters at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City (新北市).
With closely cropped hair and wearing gloves, the 29-year-old singing sensation thanked her medical team, family, fiance, fans and peers for supporting her and praying for her along the way.
Photo: Hu Shun-hsiang, Taipei Times
Lin Chih-hung (林志鴻), one of the doctors who has treated Selina for 88 days since the Oct. 22 accident, said the singer sustained burns over 54 percent of her body.
“Every single move she makes is a mental and physical challenge,” Lin said.
Although she was discharged from the hospital one day earlier than scheduled, Selina still has a long period of rehabilitation ahead of her to deal with her scars and wounds, the doctor said.
Fellow band member Ella Chen (陳嘉樺), who helped Selina as she walked gingerly toward the conference hall stage, said it had been a difficult period for the injured singer, and there was more to come.
“There is still a long road ahead of her. This is just the beginning,” Ella said.
The third member of the trio, Hebe Tian (田馥甄), complimented Selina for her courage and gave her a hug.
News of Selina’s accident in Shanghai left her fans in shock and shook up the entertainment industry over the lack of safety measures for actors in China.
Her record company is now negotiating with the film team and a Chinese TV station over the cause of the incident and compensation.
“We will do our utmost to protect Selina’s rights,” HIM International Music general manager Linda Ho (何燕玲) said at the press conference.
Selina became a household name in Chinese-speaking communities worldwide in 2001, when S.H.E. shot to fame after their first album sold more than 750,000 copies in Asia.
Before her injury, Selina, who is engaged to her long-term boyfriend, was also well on her way to becoming a popular variety show host.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS