Taiwan’s participation in an international beauty pageant sparked a war of words between two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday after pictures emerged showing Taiwan’s contestant wearing a “Miss Taiwan, China” sash.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday that the contestant, Amanda Chen, had appeared in public with the sash as part of the Malaysia-based Miss Tourism Intercontinental competition.
SOVEREIGNTY
Her comments drew the attention of DPP Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩), who said that the organizers undermined Taiwan’s sovereignty and that Chen “had problems recognizing her own country.”
Speaking to the Liberty Times, Amanda Chen denied that the sash was a big issue for her and said that she did not see the need to ask organizers to change the wording.
“China is very friendly toward me, so the sash doesn’t need to be changed,” the newspaper quoted Chen, who reportedly works in China, as saying.
However, in a turn of events that left the DPP lawmaker red-faced, it was later revealed that Amanda Chen is connected with DPP Legislator Yu Tian (余天) through his son Yu Hsiang-chuan (余祥銓), who is Amanda Chen’s boyfriend.
The Chinese-language Web site NOWnews quoted Yu Tien criticizing Chen Ying yesterday afternoon, saying that her comments crossed the line and that she should instead empathize with the contestant.
“What kind of bullshit is she saying? What does she mean by problems recognizing her own country?” Yu Tian was quoted as saying. “[Chen Ying] has no [right] criticizing my son’s girlfriend.”
“She has no choice, being out there alone. Instead, what has the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [done] for her? I think that the problem lies with Taiwan’s government,” Yu Tian said.
Yu Hsiang-chuan also tried to downplay the incident yesterday, saying Taiwan’s contestants in international events often came under “political pressure,” without elaborating.
He also said that the girl “had trouble understanding English.”
The pageant, organized jointly by a local business and a Malaysian municipal government, includes 33 women from 29 countries in a two-week competition.
E-mails and phone calls to the Malaysia-based organizer seeking clarification on the issue went unanswered at press time yesterday.
PULLOUT
MOFA spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) defended the ministry’s role in the incident, saying that the participant did not inform the ministry before taking part in the contest.
Chen said the ministry had immediately asked the nation’s representative office in Malaysia to protest to the organizer after learning of the incident on Monday.
Chen said the participant should have withdrawn from the pageant or protested to the organizer if she had known that she would be labeled as a participant from China.
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