In order to escape the glare of the media, Justin Lin's (
Chen was reported to be accompanied by Lin's older brother, Lin Wan-sung (
Chen arrived in Taiwan on Sunday night to attend her father-in-law's funeral today on behalf of her husband.
PHOTO: LI KUI-CHUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen apparently evaded reporters waiting outside Lin's family home in Ilan County as she left to pay her respects early in the morning.
Chen, who, like her husband, is a famous scholar in China, is currently the director of a special education research center under China's Ministry of Education.
When Justin Lin defected to China in 1979, Chen was pregnant with their daughter and their son was three years old.
A woman with a strong will, she refused to believe that her husband was dead without seeing his body.
Years later, she learned form one of Lin's friends that her husband was still alive and was studying in the US.
She went to America to meet Lin and obtained her own doctoral degree there. Their two children were later taken to the US to join them.
The family eventually went to China.
Chen is expected to return to China after attending the funeral service slated for today.
Lin Wang-sung, the oldest of Justin Lin's brothers, said it was unfair to brand his younger brother a traitor.
"I don't understand why people regard him as a villain," he said. "My brother just wanted to pursue his ambitions."
Lin Wan-sung said he felt hurt and sad.
Another older brother, Lin Tzu-lang (林次郎), said that Justin Lin was particularly sad not only because he would miss his father's funeral but also because he had not been able to attend his mother's funeral several years ago.
"Please don't attack my little brother any more," he said.
During an interview with CNA in Beijing, Justin Lin said yesterday that he regretted that he could not attend his father's funeral today. But, "I will set up an altar in my office in Beijing to show my respect," he said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last