Celebrity cosmetic surgeon Lin Ching-yun (林靜芸), who was indicted for performing illegal gel silicon breast implants a few years ago, yesterday denied the charges in a hearing.
Lin, a former director of the Taiwan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, was indicted by Taipei prosecutors last month for allegedly violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法).
Prosecutors said Lin and a deceased surgeon surnamed Hsieh performed gel silicon breast implants from March 2004 through 2008. Gel silicon breast implants were illegal until later in 2008 when they gained Department of Health (DOH) approval.
Prosecutors seized files on 11 patients from Lin’s clinic, saying the documents provided evidence that Lin and Hsieh had performed the implants.
Lin yesterday told Taipei District Court judges that she performed liquid silicon implants rather than gel silicon implants. The gel silicon was used to contain liquid silicon — like a pack — and was not used as filler, she said.
Lin also accused investigators from the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau of entrapment and deception during the investigation, adding that there were procedural flaws.
Cosmetic surgeons had for years been calling for the approval of gel silicon implants, which they say are safer than liquid silicon implants.
As a leading promoter, Lin had told the media that since gel silicon implants were not liquid, but rather a cohesive mass, there was less danger associated with their use. There was no risk of leakage, even in the event of a rupture, Lin said.
Lin is the wife of former DOH minister Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁), who is now superintendent at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
RSS