A Taiwanese online personality has allegedly gone missing after he was recorded during a livestream apparently being beaten in a Cambodian casino.
Chen Neng-chuan (陳能釧), also known as Wan An Hsiao Chi (晚安小雞, “Good Night Chicks”), is known for producing paranormal content on Facebook.
His family has been unable to reach him since his last upload, which showed him being beaten and was watched by thousands of viewers, an associate said in a statement yesterday morning.
Photo: Screengrab from Chen Neng-chuan’s Facebook page
The Criminal Investigation Bureau told the Chinese-language United Daily News that authorities had not yet received a report regarding Chen’s alleged disappearance.
However, Preah Sihanouk Province Governor Kuoch Chamroeun yesterday wrote on Facebook, asking people for help finding Chen.
A video on Chen’s channel showed him entering KB International Casino in Sihanoukville in the early hours on Monday, seemingly without permission.
Talking into a cellphone, Chen said in the video that he was investigating rumors of human trafficking and fraud that involved the casino, adding that tips from viewers alleged several Taiwanese had disappeared after accepting employment there.
Soon after he entered, Chen was confronted by armed security guards and tried to flee after an increasingly heated conversation, the video showed.
Sounds of a struggle could be heard after Chen dropped his phone, which was then picked up by a man wearing a uniform.
A glimpse of Chen lying prone on the floor was captured before the phone was turned off.
Later that evening, Chen broadcast live again, saying that he was safe and had been robbed.
Writing on Chen’s Facebook page, a person claiming to be his wife said that he had not communicated with his family since the video was made and that his driver and local police had been asked to investigate.
Chen’s alleged wife and an associate who did not identify himself later made a joint video statement reiterating that Chen’s whereabouts and condition remained unknown and that a report had been filed with local law enforcement.
They said that Chen’s family and production team would fly to Cambodia today to deal with the matter.
Internet personality Liu Yu (劉宇), also known as Si Cha-mao (四叉貓), questioned the authenticity of Chen’s videos.
“All of his money had been stolen, and he can still keep his cameras to do a live broadcast,” Liu said. “Who would believe that?”
Liu said that he used Google Maps and found that Chen was actually in a safe place, surrounded by multiple hotel resorts.
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 12:37pm today, with clear shaking felt across much of northern Taiwan. There were no immediate reports of damage. The epicenter of the quake was 16.9km east-southeast of Yilan County Hall offshore at a depth of 66.8km, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. The maximum intensity registered at a 4 in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳) on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. Other parts of Yilan, as well as certain areas of Hualien County, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Taichung and Miaoli County, recorded intensities of 3. Residents of Yilan County and Taipei received
Taiwan has secured another breakthrough in fruit exports, with jujubes, dragon fruit and lychees approved for shipment to the EU, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency on Thursday received formal notification of the approval from the EU, the ministry said, adding that the decision was expected to expand Taiwanese fruit producers’ access to high-end European markets. Taiwan exported 126 tonnes of lychees last year, valued at US$1.48 million, with Japan accounting for 102 tonnes. Other export destinations included New Zealand, Hong Kong, the US and Australia, ministry data showed. Jujube exports totaled 103 tonnes, valued at
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents