Celebrity Suzanne Hsiao (蕭淑慎) appeared in court yesterday to defend herself against allegations of drug use, saying she had tested positive for drugs because she was taking anti-depressants.
Hsiao arrived at the Shilin District Court in the company of her lawyer. Prior to the hearing, she told reporters that she did not take drugs and therefore had no plans of pleading guilty to charges of drug use and drug trafficking.
Hsiao said she had proof and would show the judge that she did not use prohibited drugs.
“I will let the results of scientific tests speak for themselves,” Hsiao said.
Hsiao, who is on probation after being convicted of using prohibited drugs, underwent three urine sample tests in May, June and July last year. All the results tested positive for amphetamines.
She attributed the positive test results to her use of the anti-depressant Ritalin. She said that from April to August last year, she took one or two Ritalin pills a day.
Shilin District prosecutors have charged her with using prohibited drugs and asked the court to revoke her probation and hand down a prison sentence.
In 2006, after testing positive for cocaine, Hsiao was found guilty of using drugs and sentenced to one year and seven months in jail and four years’ probation.
During the probation period, Hsiao is required to undergo regular drug tests to ensure she stayed clean.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe