Officials from the Ilan District Prosecutors' Office said that they are having a DNA test made on the body of veteran entertainer Ni Min-jan (倪敏然) in order to make a final confirmation of his identity.
Prosecutors said that they already collected DNA samples from Ni and his two younger sisters, Ni Chien-chien (倪茜茜) and Ni Bei-bei (倪蓓蓓), on Sunday evening.
The DNA samples were immediately sent to the Prosecutors' Office for the Taiwan High Court (高檢署). The results are expected to be released within the next few days.
On Sunday afternoon, police at Ilan's Toucheng Township received a report about a male who had hanged himself on a tree in an abandoned orchard. They found Ni's identification in his wallet, indicating the body was that of the comedian.
Ni had been dead for about 10 days when he was found, and his face and body had swollen and could hardly be recognized by family members. A DNA test was therefore necessary to confirm his identity.
Ni had reportedly been missing for more than two weeks. He admitted that he had suffered from depression and had trouble sleeping. Ni was having financial and family problems. He was experiencing a low point in his acting career, while having an extramarital affair with Chinese actress Xia Yi (夏禕) who now works in Taiwan.
Although Xia repeatedly denied the rumored affair, she admitted it during a telephone interview with the tabloid Apple Daily on Sunday. According to Xia, she dated Ni for a while after he told her that he had already divorced his second wife, Lee Li-hua (李麗華). Lee herself was also a well-known actress before she married Ni and retired in 1985. But Xia broke up with Ni after she found out that he had not really divorced his wife.
"I was also reluctant to give up," Xia said. "But he had a family. How could I possibly be with him?"
"Let's not talk about this anymore since he has gone," Xia said. "Maybe he had no choice but to lie about his marital status. But he was still a good man."
But Yu Tien (
"Ni did not cover up his marital status from Xia. She should have come back as soon as possible to clarify the matter," Yu complained to the media.
Yu confirmed that Ni did have some financial difficulties, and had recently borrowed NT$300,000 from him to pay his debts.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
RSS