Outside the political sphere, there is probably no one in Taiwan who gets as much publicity as Siamese twins Chang Chung-jen (
The celebration recalled a familiar scene two decades ago in an operating room of the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH,
The operation on Sept. 10, 1979, was significant because it was expected to become the world's first separation of male Siamese twins joined at the hip and born with three legs. The operation was successful and made medical history.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Unlike the large number of live TV reports today, local television stations at that time made very few real-time broadcasts except for baseball games involving teams from Taiwan in the Little League World Series each year.
Because of the publicity, Chung-jen and Chung-yi became household names and their photos before and after the operation were on the front page of every newspaper, with some still hanging on a wall at NTUH.
After a lapse of 20 years, the twins, now 23, yesterday gathered with the doctors who performed the operation in a celebration at NTUH of the 20th anniversary of the event.
National Taiwan University President Chen Wei-jao (
"The two brothers continue to make contributions to society. Chung-jen, for instance, now donates NT$800 monthly to a charity organization to help a girl in China."
Chen said, however, that "the pity is that they lack care and concern from their parents."
The parents of the brothers have been out of contact with them for years, leaving them to live on their own. They are supported by donations from the public.
Both said that they miss their parents.
In a documentary self-produced by the two brothers highlighting episodes in their life after the surgical separation, Chung-yi, the younger, sent a message to his parents that he still loves them despite all that has happened.
The documentary, made public for the first time, is an emotional film, with the two brothers using Celine Dion's theme song from the movie Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On," as the background music.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS