Playing secretly recorded tapes through loud speakers and making accusations in front of a curious crowd, a Buddhist nun who claimed to have been raped by a respected elderly monk yesterday turned what was supposed to be a solemn religious ceremony into a fiasco, with loudspeakers playing what can only be regarded as decidedly secular content.
The monk, known as Master Juhsu (
In the absence of the master, Miaowen (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The 40-year-old nun claimed to have spoken to four other nuns who said they had been sexually assaulted by the same man.
Miaowen and dozens of her sympathizers, before hearing of his decision to stay away, had expected to confront Juhsu during the hand-over ceremony, and brought with them loud speakers and banners.
But Juhsu, who was initially scheduled to hand over the leadership to his successor during the ceremony, issued a statement claiming he had remained absent mainly to "avoid potential disturbances."
Juhsu claimed innocence over the rape charges, accusing Miaowen in return of slandering him over his refusal to give her NT$15 million. Neither party has made any mention of exactly what the amount was for.
Taichung County Deputy Magistrate Kingbow Y.H. Chen (
Chen added that the lack of his presence would be "like shooting without a target."
Outside the Hui-jih Lecture Hall (
The tapes contained strong sexual overtones. The noise, which clearly embarrassed and angered the Buddhist officials involved in the ceremony, eventually prompted them shut the door and ask for the police to take action to stop it.
ROC Buddhist Temple Association director Shih Chao-hui (
Miaowen's spokesman, Yang Ching-hai (
Yang admitted that Miaowen had planned what she wanted from the conversation, prior to the call with Juhsu, which she recorded without him knowing it.
"According to my own judgement on the basis of evidence provided by Miaowen, I think she is telling the truth," Yang said.
"Miaowen has also recorded testimony against Juhsu from her Buddhist seniors, who know Juhsu quite well," he said.
Yang said that NT$200,000 in cash had changed hands between Miaowen and Juhsu in the past, but said it had nothing to do with the alleged sexual offenses.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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