A spokesperson for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) yesterday thanked members of the public for their concern after a report alleging she had been abused by her partner, sparking outpourings of sympathy and condemnations of violence from officials.
Kao yesterday filed a report against her boyfriend with Taipei police, claiming he physically assaulted her during a recent altercation. The case was transferred to the New Taipei City Police Department, as the alleged incident occurred in Banciao District (板橋).
The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that its Crimes against Women and Children Division has started to collect evidence to determine whether to launch a full investigation.
Photo: Wang Ting-chuan, Taipei Times
A statement issued earlier in the day through the Legislative Yuan’s office said that Kao was preparing a response to the allegations, including relevant documentation.
“Chia-yu will bravely face the matter in the hopes of preventing another victim,” it said. “Thanks again to everyone for their concern.”
The Chinese-language Mirror Media early yesterday published a report alleging that Kao was beaten by her partner last month over messages from a former boyfriend on her phone.
Photo: CNA
He allegedly seized her phone and kept her in a hotel for two days, after which Kao sought medical attention for her injuries at National Taiwan University Hospital, it reported.
Photographs published by the magazine showed bruises on Kao’s neck, wrists and hands.
Public officials condemned the violence, while extending their sympathy to Kao.
In Taipei, the Department of Social Welfare said it is aware of the allegations, but urged confidentiality for those involved, while Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) condemned violence of any kind.
The department also urged victims of domestic violence to call the 113 Children and Women Protection Hotline or 110 emergency number.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had instructed the office to call Kao to convey her concern.
The office “strongly condemns violence and would support Kao if she decides to take legal action,” he added.
Chang also denied claims by Kao’s partner that he is a national security adviser.
Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said he feels for Kao and wished her a speedy recovery.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) also reiterated the government’s “zero-tolerance policy” toward violence between intimate partners.
Whether incidents get reported depends on a number of factors, he said, adding that the issue is not so simple it can be solved by a single policy.
Regardless, violence between intimate partners should not be treated with leniency or swept under the rug, Chen added.
Research has shown that it is hard to stop domestic violence once it begins, Chen said.
According to a Ministry of Health and Welfare survey, one in five women in Taiwan are subject to violence at the hands of an intimate partner.
Psychological abuse is the most common, followed by physical abuse, the ministry said yesterday.
A popular figure in the DPP, Kao rocketed into the public eye after becoming the youngest-ever member of the National Assembly in 2005.
She went on to serve as a Taipei City Councilor from 2010 to last year, when she was elected to the Legislative Yuan to represent Taipei’s Neihu (內湖) and Nangang (南港) districts.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km