Both first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) made phone calls to express their concern over the injuries sustained to model Lin Chih-ling (林志玲) after she fell off a horse, Lin's mother Wu Tzu-mei (吳慈美) said yesterday.
Lin, dubbed by Taiwanese media as "Taiwan's No. 1 model," fell from a horse and broke her breastbone last Friday during the filming of a commercial in northern China. Lin was rushed to a hospital in Shenyang in northeastern Liaoning Province.
In a phone interview yesterday, Lin's mother told CTI Cable News that both the first lady and the vice president had encouraged her to be strong after her daughter's horse-back riding accident.
"[Wu and Lu] expressed concern about Chih-ling and told me not to be too worried," said Wu Tzu-mei, who is also a member of Taipei Shue-tan-tan Sister Alliance (
"They assured me that Lin was a strong girl and that doctors would do their best to treat Lin's injury," she said.
Lu yesterday confirmed that she called Wu Tzu-mei on Monday to convey her concern and give the model's mother words of encouragement.
Wu Tzu-mei is currently waiting for her "Taiwan compatriot travel document" to be processed before she can fly across the Strait to be by her daughter's side. Saying that it was "inappropriate" for her to fly back to Taiwan now, Lin's agent encouraged her to heed doctors' suggestion that she remain in the Chinese hospital for the time being.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)