Taiwanese police yesterday warned against publicly circulating nude pictures of a Hong Kong actor and his actress girlfriends, saying that violators could be jailed for two years.
"Circulating obscene pictures and products are subject to punishment of up to two years in jail and a fine of up to NT$30,000," a police spokesman said.
He was referring to the publication of photos on the Internet of Hong Kong singer-actor Edison Chen (
The photos, apparently taken by Chen, show him and his girlfriends in various sexual positions. There was also video footage of Chen that was allegedly posted by the suspect, the officer said.
In related news, results of a survey released yesterday by the Business Software Alliance's Taiwan branch suggested that many are unaware of the legality or safety of downloaded items.
The survey conducted among 440 youths aged 13 to 24 revealed that 42 percent of respondents go online every day and 85.4 percent usually stay online for more than one hour each time.
It was found that 79.8 percent of respondents have had experience downloading Internet material.
Of these respondents, 74.9 percent have obtained music, 64.1 percent have gotten games, 58.4 percent have downloaded photos, 40.2 percent have downloaded computer software, 30.5 percent have downloaded movies and 16.8 percent have obtained online comic or fiction literature -- all free of charge.
The results showed that 40.2 percent of respondents have no idea if the material they have downloaded is legal or illegal, and 54.7 percent have seen their computers suffer a viral attack after a download.
Meanwhile, 64.7 percent of respondents will share the downloaded information with classmates or friends, and 68.8 percent have received less than four lessons on cyber safety or cyber ethics in one semester.
The survey was conducted from Feb. 1 to Feb. 5 by National Chengchi University's Marketing Survey Research Center for BSA-Taiwan. It has a margin of error of 3.9 percent.
For the latest on Edison Chen, see Pop Stop on page 14.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
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