A Chinese-American porn star recently caught on camera parading around naked in the streets of Taipei is more than one city councilor can bear.
The starlet, known as Kiko Wu, recently doffed her clothes during the daytime in Taipei's bustling Hsimenting shopping area and at the Warner Village complex last month. She was also spotted running around naked in scenic Tamshui.
That has infuriated KMT councilwoman Chen Li-hui (陳孋輝), who said Wu pulled the stunt in a effort to boost sales at her pornographic Internet site, www.kikowu.com.
In addition, police sources said yesterday that Wu could be expelled from the country the next time she attempts such "obscene and offensive" behavior during a visit to Taiwan.
But Wu denied that she was raking in the dough as a result of her recent visit to Taiwan. She said Taiwanese surfers account for only 0.5 percent of visitors to her Web site, and most just download pictures and few are members.
"It is unfortunate that Ms Chen would resort to waving my pictures in front of TV cameras in an attempt to distract the Taiwanese from the very real issues they face," Wu said in a press release yesterday.
"I can only wonder, does she truly imagine that this is the most important issue facing women in Taiwan at the moment? Perhaps she thinks that all the barber shops in Taipei just cut hair? Or that all of the 16-year-old girls walking around Hsimenting in the evenings are just shopping?"
Wu said that far more serious issues face Taiwan women, but they are being ignored. "There are thousands of Taiwanese women who are forced by unemployment to put food on the table in far worse ways than I do. Where is their voice? Their `voice' it seems is too busy worrying about one American to champion the cause of those thousands of Taiwanese women."
The city councilor said an angry mother had contacted her to complain about Wu, saying the starlet had stripped out of her clothes right in front of her and her little boy when they went to a movie in Hsimenting.
"How could the police just sit back and do nothing?" Chen said during a press conference yesterday.
Officials from Taipei City Police Headquarters said any future naked romps through the city would be handled according to the nation's Social Order Maintenance Law (
Wu said that while the photos were taken in public, she had done all she could to avoid letting younger children see her.
"I was extremely careful about shooting the images. I only shot during school hours to ensure that I was not seen by any children," she said. "And despite many, many requests, I absolutely refused to shoot near any memorials or Buddhist shrines. I have too much respect for Taiwanese culture and people to do that."
According to Chen, Wu is planning another photo shoot, this time in front of Hsingtienkung (
But Wu's press release said she has no plans to return to Taiwan in the near future. She called the controversy a "fruitless attempt to apprehend a dangerous menace to society in the form of a 41kg Chinese girl. Truly Ms Chen is a leader who knows how to use her power wisely."
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan