Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) on Friday last week apologized and said he would transfer his son to another school after the alleged bullying of a female classmate.
The Kaohsiung Education Bureau said it has launched an investigation into the incident.
Lai told a news conference that his eight-year-old son, who is in the second grade, was involved in a “physical conflict” with a classmate surnamed Huang (黃).
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Lai apologized to the girl and her parents.
“As a politician, I have a responsibility to pay close attention to my son’s education,” he said. “Our society should see a mature parent willing to deal with problems.”
“I have spoken to the girl’s parents and am also in communication with school officials,” he said. “We all hope that our children can grow up in a friendly and safe environment, and people should give them more room to learn and develop.”
The girl’s mother said that she sensed sincerity in Lai’s apology and accepts that he was taking responsibility, Chinese-language media reported.
She just wanted to stop the bullying, she said, adding that she would abide by the outcome of the probe and the legal process.
Lai’s son got embroiled in a physical altercation involving Huang on Oct. 16 while they were exercising on the running track at their school, reports said.
Huang ran to a washroom, but Lai’s son stood outside and verbally abused her for about 12 minutes, they said.
Huang’s parents sought an investigation over the incident, the reports said, adding that another couple, parents of a boy at the school surnamed Hsu (徐), filed a complaint that Lai’s son had kicked him during a physical education class, bruising his cheek.
On Monday, Lai told reporters at the legislature in Taipei that he would teach his son about proper social interactions and behavior, and provide counseling.
He would cooperate with the school’s probe and other investigations, he said.
Lai said that he has met with Huang’s parents for an hour over the issue with their daughter and would take action in the best interests of the family.
Moreover, he would transfer his son to another school, he said.
However, some media reports were taken out of context or exaggerated, he said.
The misinformation regarding the incident might be due to his announcement that he would contest the DPP primary for next year’s Kaohsiung mayoral race, he added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), the party’s presumptive candidate in the Kaohsiung election, steered clear of commenting on the issue directly.
“An election is one thing, but we should not bring family into the fray,” Ko said. “If we have criticisms of a candidate’s platform or ethical conducts, that is on the candidate alone.”
“Given that Lai has apologized twice, we need not discuss it further,” she added.
Additional reporting by Ke Yu-hao
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS