In the wake of extensive media hype surrounding the case of 13-year-old Hsiao-tsu (小慈), who is suing her biological father for failure to pay child support, another Taipei youngster filed a suit against his mother yesterday.
Twelve-year-old Hsiao-ching (小鏡), a sixth grade student at Taipei's Lao Song (老松) elementary school, arrived at the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office accompanied by his father to file suit against his biological mother for abandonment.
He is demanding child-support payments for the past 12 years as well as an official change of his family name, which is currently Lai (賴) after his mother, to Yang (楊) after his father.
Hsiao-ching frankly admitted that he was inspired to make his case by the attention given to Hsiao-tsu.
She made headlines with her statement about her father. "He's got money to play around with women, but he said he can't afford to support me -- a child of his." On a similarly bitter note, Hsiao-ching declared yesterday, "I'm ashamed to have a mother like this. I hope to give her a taste of what it's like to be locked up in jail."
Yang testified that he met Hsiao-ching's mother in 1981 while working as a tour bus driver. She worked on the bus, and although both were married to other people at the time, they began living together in 1983 and had Hsiao-ching. However, six or seven years ago, their relationship ended and Hsiao-ching's mother left their home, abandoning her son.
At present, Yang and Hsiao-ching live with Yang's first wife, his elder son and daughter-in-law. Last year, Yang suffered a stroke, making him unable to work.
The entire family now depends on the earnings of his oldest son and daughter-in-law.
This amounts to a total of only NT$30,000 per month, and as a result they are facing extreme financial difficulties.
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