KMT Legislator John Chang (章孝嚴), the illegitimate son of late president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), said yesterday that millions of people across the Taiwan Strait know who his biological parents are and that he had applied to have their names put on his ROC identification card.
"Chiang is my father, a fact that is widely known in Taiwan as well as in China," Chang told a news conference. "Still, it is regretful that the fact is not reflected in my identification papers."
Chang's uncle Chang Hau-juo (
The former foreign minister said he filed an application with the Bureau of Civil Affairs of the Taipei City Government early this year to change his identification card.
"The matter has yet to be settled because I insist on retaining my mother's surname," Chang said. His mother is Chang Ya-juo (章亞若).
"A switch to Chiang would cause great inconvenience to my children, whose identification documents would have to be changed as well," he said.
The request put the municipal bureau in a legal dilemma as the household registration rules require children to carry their father's last name. The bureau has forwarded the issue to the Ministry of the Interior.
During a tour of Taichung County, Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余正憲) said the ministry would like to help, but the documents Chang produced are insufficient to scientifically prove the identity of his biological parents.
Yu said he had asked the Ministry of Justice to help clarify the legal aspects of Chang's
application.
Chang expressed reservations about taking his case to court.
"I don't want to turn the matter into a legal dispute," he said, adding that he thought it unnecessary to consult Chiang's family members about the issue.
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