The Chiayi District Court has ordered a mother to pay NT$5,000 in damages after she threw out her son’s collection of 32 Attack on Titan (進擊的巨人) comic books.
The fine can be commuted to labor and the ruling can be appealed, the court said.
The woman, surnamed Chien (簡), lives with her 20-year-old son, but the two have a strained relationship due primarily to the son’s habit of collecting manga and magazines, and refusal to dispose of them, the ruling said.
Photo: Lin Yi-chang, Taipei Times
Chien said they do not have space in their house to store all of her son’s collections, and she disposed of the manga series, because they had begun to develop mold from the humidity, it said.
The son was livid and sued his mother, saying some of the books were out of print, the ruling said.
Chien was contrite and asked to settle out of court, but she did not appear when summoned for further questioning, the ruling said.
The son was unwilling to engage in dialogue with Chien in court to attempt a settlement, so the prosecutors indicted Chien for destruction of property per the Criminal Code.
The court ruled that although the two were mother and son, Chien should respect the son’s rights to his property.
As the plaintiff did not wish to settle out of court, but the means employed in the act of destruction of property were mild, and the given price of the objects destroyed was not great, the court ruled that Chien should pay NT$5,000 in damages.
Commenting on the case, online author Neal Wu (吳子雲) on Tuesday shared his own experience, saying he was so angry at his mother for throwing away his comic collection in high school that he refused to speak to her for two years.
“The incident isn’t just about throwing away comic books,” he said, adding that he hoped Chien had learned from the incident or at least engage in self-reflection to learn why her actions drew such a strong response from her son.
Wu said that if a child purchases a book using their own pocket money, it is their possession, and even if the parents disagree, they should communicate to their child why they disagreed.
Wu said parents should not “throw things away” in an authoritarian manner.
Studying is not the only way to measure success in life, and as long as they do not turn “bad,” it is not bad for children to find solace in reading comics or playing games, he said.
Psychology consultant Wang Chih-yi (王智誼) said that digital products are often a source of conflict between parents and children.
Depriving children of their interests would result in stronger reactions, and sometimes self-harm, he said.
Parents should remember to consider the issue from the child’s perspective and try to de-escalate the situation, he said, adding that they should seek to handle the situation instead of punishing the child.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
RSS