As the debacle over a group of civilians visiting a restricted military base housing AH-64E Apache military helicopters continues, local media outlets such as the Chinese-language Apple Daily alleged that the group gained access by using their connections as members of Taiwan’s wealthy elite.
The controversy centers around an incident in which 601st Air Cavalry Brigade Lieutenant Colonel Lao Nai-cheng (勞乃成) took a group of 20 relatives and friends, including showbiz personality Janet Lee (李蒨蓉) and members of her family, to a military base in Taoyuan’s Longtan District (龍潭) on March 29.
Without the approval of his superiors, Lao gave the group access to a hangar on the base housing the Apaches, and allowed them to board one of the helicopters and take photographs.
Photo: Screen grab from Janet Lee’s Facebook page
The incident came to light after Lee posted four photographs of the visit on Facebook.
Lee was once a popular VJ on a music channel and was often seen at luxury goods events. She married Mandarin Group chief executive officer Lee Te-li (李德立) and became a familiar face at socialite parties, where she became familiar with society figures such as Amy Sun (孫芸芸), the wife of Breeze owner Henry Liao (廖鎮漢).
Lao is married to Chiu Ya-ching (邱雅靖), daughter of the late Chiu Ming-hung (邱明洪) — a well-known figure in Taiwan’s stock market in the early 1980s. Chiu Ya-ching is the half-sister of Dunyi Food and Beverage Management Co president Jerry Chiu (邱泰翰), who is the former president of spa resort Villa 32 in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投).
Joanna Wang (王君怡), wife of Jerry Chiu, is a prominent figure in Taipei society, the reports said, adding that another member of the group that visited the hangar, Chu Kai-wei (朱愷葳), is from a wealthy family and the former head of public relations at Fendi.
As Chiu Ya-ching and Lee are good friends, it is not surprising that the entourage included Chu, Jerry Chiu and his wife, the reports said.
In response to Apple Daily inquiries about the incident, Jerry Chiu, currently in the US on business, was quoted as saying on Saturday that the visit was a simple event among friends, and was certainly not intended to demonstrate the wealth of the group.
However, geek icon Lucifer Chu (朱學恆) said on Facebook that life for the rich was different, and it certainly was an eye-opener for Taiwan’s “lowly peasants.”
Lyricist Hsu Chang-te (許常德) also criticized Lee, saying that, what angered the public was not Lee’s ignorance, but how she used her children’s interest in the aircraft and her parental obligations as a pretext for entering a restricted facility, adding that her arrogance backfired and now she is attempting to salvage her career.
Anchor Chang Pei-shan (張珮珊) echoed Hsu’s comments, saying that people from so-called high society are “thoughtless and ignorant,” spending much of their time partying and flaunting their wealth, which contributes nothing to Taiwan’s progress and development.
Additional reporting by Tseng Te-jung and CNA
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