Award-winning singer Jam Hsiao (蕭敬騰) yesterday denounced violence and called for justice after his van was bombarded with feces by two motorcyclists a day earlier, leaving his driver soaked with ordure and covered in bruises as he tried to stop the culprits from fleeing.
“I am particularly furious over how deeply my colleague was hurt by the attack. There is no way I will let the perpetrators off easily. I believe in justice and in Taiwan’s police authorities and the media. I demand an answer,” Hsiao said at a press conference in Taipei yesterday morning.
Hsiao’s driver bore the brunt of the assault, as Hsiao was sitting in the back of the van parked outside his residence in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) when the two helmeted attackers hurled a bucket of droppings toward the driver’s seat on Monday afternoon.
Photo: CNA
The driver also sustained multiple bruises on his limbs after he was dragged 30m along the ground while he was trying to stop the culprits.
Asked if the attack could have been the result of a personal feud, Hsiao said he had never made an enemy, nor was he having any financial or work-related problems.
Hsiao said some of his colleagues had received threatening telephone calls and letters over the past three months, but he had been reluctant to make the matter public to avoid giving the extortionists the impression that he was using the media to bully them.
“However, what happened yesterday was the limit. I am furious ... and deeply sorry for what happened to my co-worker. At the same time, I am worried that something similar could happen to my other colleagues and family, so I really hope the police can catch the culprits,” he said.
Hsiao said the attackers were most likely hired by someone, but declined to say who he thinks is the mastermind. He said he would tell the public once his speculations were verified.
He reiterated that he would not succumb to threats and would not change his work schedule because of the incident.
Hsiao’s agent, Summer Lin (林有慧), said the threatening calls and letters all came from the same person, who claimed to be “seeking justice for someone.”
As to whether Hsiao would consider moving after the attack and an incident in July in which an ardent female fan sent a bowl of soup to his house at midnight, Lin said moving was not a permanent solution because people would still find him wherever he lived, adding that Hsiao has hired two round-the-clock bodyguards for protection.
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