The Hualien County Government on Friday defended its decision to include singer Show Lo (羅志祥) among the performers at its New Year’s Eve Countdown Party, saying that the artist’s home town should support him.
Lo’s reputation took a hit last year when his former girlfriend Grace Chow (周揚青) posted a statement online accusing him of infidelity, and hosting and attending orgies.
The county government on Dec. 17 said that its six-day New Year’s Eve Countdown events would include a performance by Lo, drawing criticism from the public.
Photo courtesy of Hualien County Government
Some local parents said that they would not allow their children to attend an event featuring Lo, while some social media users jokingly asked why Taiwanese-American singer Wang Leehom (王力宏) was not invited.
Wang was last week accused of infidelity by his ex-wife, Lee Jing-lei (李靚蕾).
Independent Hualien County Councilor Yang Hua-mei (楊華美) on Thursday said she received complaints from her constituents, who told her that it was inappropriate for the county to feature Lo, “whose morals are in question,” at the New Year’s Eve event.
The county government should impose standards for such events, Yang said, adding that it could “swap out people if the need arises.”
Hualien County Councilor Chuang Chih-tsai (莊枝財) of the Democratic Progressive Party on Friday told the Hualien County Council that his party’s county chapter had received several complaints about the Lo’s inclusion at the event and urged the county government to reconsider.
Hualien County Councilor Lee Chiu-wang (李邱旺) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said that people are not saints and that Lo has paid the price for his actions.
He should be given a chance to resume his career, Lee said.
“We must teach our children that they must change after they have made mistakes,” Lee said.
In posters produced by the Hualien Tourism Bureau promoting the six-day event, Lo is listed prominently alongside other singers, including Nick Chou (周湯豪) and Andrew Tan (陳勢安).
The bureau said in a statement that Lo “has arranged to host his comeback concert where it matters the most — his home county.”
Hualien Tourism Bureau Director Chang Chih-hsiang (張志翔) on Friday said that Lo has recognized his mistakes and that the county, being his home, should support his efforts to continue in the entertainment business.
People who attend the events should observe COVID-19 pandemic prevention policies, Chang said, adding that except for water, the events would not allow eating or drinking.
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
Measures have been taken to minimize damage from Chinese espionage, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday, in response to an alleged plan to deliver a Chinook helicopter to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese-language CTWANT magazine earlier in the day reported that a lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsieh (謝) was approached by Chinese officers with an offer to evacuate his family to Thailand in the event of a cross-strait conflict. In exchange, Hsieh was asked to fly a CH-47F Chinook helicopter to a Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait, the magazine said. Hsieh initially declined, but accepted after he was
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
RSS