The Miss Taiwan title has been tarnished by two scandals in the past month. First, Liu An-na (
The first in the series of events that led to Liu's being stripped of her title occurred last month when debt collectors went to a jewelry shop owned by Liu and her mother, Yu Kuang (余況), to collect NT$40 million allegedly owed by the two.
Liu and Yu were not at the shop at the time, and the debt collectors left red notes in front of the shop, a common practice in Taiwan when people who owe money cannot be found. They also left notes saying that Liu had won her title by bribing the beauty contest's judges.
PHOTO: KE YU-HAO, TAIPEI TIMES
On Dec. 14, Liu telephoned the Beauty Development Association, which runs the Miss Taiwan contest, saying that she was safe.
The association asked Liu to either hold a press conference to clear the matter up or sign an affidavit giving up her title. Liu refused.
The association announced on Dec. 22 that it had decided to strip Liu of her title because her personal affairs had had a negative impact on the association's reputation. The association also announced that it would crown Kao, who had won second place in the Miss Taiwan contest, as the new Miss Taiwan.
Liu faxed a statement to the association on Dec. 23 to insist on her innocence and to say that she was in Europe.
"I knew nothing of my mother's financial situation," Liu wrote. "She tried her best to provide me with a good and carefree life, and I didn't know that her business had failed."
Liu also denied the rumor that she had bought off the judges.
But stripping Liu of her title was not the end of the trouble for the association: Kao, who was crowned yesterday as Liu's replacement, is facing accusations that she worked as a bar girl a few years ago.
On Dec. 25, a Chinese-language newspaper wrote that Kao had once worked as a bar girl in a bar run by her sister.
Kao said in response, "I did not drink with the patrons, and I only worked as an accountant. Plus, this is my sister we're talking about, and she wouldn't have let me work as a bar girl."
The Chinese-language newspaper reported yesterday that Chang Tso-wu (
"Three years ago my ex-girlfriend opened a bar," Chang is quoted as saying. "Kao Ching-hui cannot drink much but she is pretty and gentle, and the patrons liked her. She was the star of the bar."
Kao said in response that Chang had made false statements about her because his marriage proposal to her sister had been rejected.
Despite the controversy concerning Kao, her crowning ceremony was held as scheduled yesterday.
The association said that it believed in its beauty queens.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
RSS