Supporters of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) have allegedly threatened to attack a teenager with acid and physically assault her after she filed a lawsuit to protect herself from abuse.
The 18-year-old surnamed Tsai (蔡) said that over the weekend she filed complaints against 107 people who she believes are “Han fans,” for defamation and public insult.
Tsai said she has received legal advice from political pundit Wang Ruei-de (王瑞德) and support from many people, but she still fears for her safety, as the personal attacks and insults have continued.
Tsai displayed comments posted on her Facebook and Instagram accounts, which said: “You will soon know what an acid attack feels like,” “Be careful when you go out at night. It’s a matter of time before we find you,” and “I want to stomp on your dog-face.”
There were other malicious comments, including death threats.
“Why are you still around? Your kind will not live beyond this summer,” one said, while another said: “You should die, you bitch!”
Recently graduated from vocational high school and preparing to attend college in the fall, Tsai earlier this month was involved in an incident at the Kuang De House of Pancakes in Kaohsiung, where she was berated by supporters of Han who were upset by a rally urging his recall.
“Han is such a good mayor, you cannot recall him. You can go die,” a woman was seen telling Tsai and the pancake shop owner in a televised report of the rally.
Tsai was harassed online after the broadcast, and was encouraged by friends and others to file a lawsuit.
The proprietor of the Kuang De House of Pancakes said that despite online attacks against his business, he would donate one day’s sales proceeds to the campaign to recall Han to show his determination to stand up against bullying.
In related news, Kaohsiung’s Zhengsing Borough (正興里) Warden Shen Hsiu-ling (沈秀玲) yesterday said that she would file lawsuits against more than 20 Han supporters who have harassed her online.
Shen has clashed publicly with Han, after heavy rain resulted in flash floods and extensive damage in her borough on July 19.
She accused Han and the Kaohsiung City Government of negligence, and failing to clean the area afterward.
“Was there serious flooding in this borough? Residents in the borough said the floodwaters receded very quickly. Why does this borough warden want to vilify us?” Han told reporters in response.
Other Kaohsiung residents supported Shen, writing: “The borough warden is right, there was flooding and damage to people’s homes in that area. Why did she get disparaged for speaking the truth?”
TRAGEDY: An expert said that the incident was uncommon as the chance of a ground crew member being sucked into an IDF engine was ‘minuscule’ A master sergeant yesterday morning died after she was sucked into an engine during a routine inspection of a fighter jet at an air base in Taichung, the Air Force Command Headquarters said. The officer, surnamed Hu (胡), was conducting final landing checks at Ching Chuan Kang (清泉崗) Air Base when she was pulled into the jet’s engine for unknown reasons, the air force said in a news release. She was transported to a hospital for emergency treatment, but could not be revived, it said. The air force expressed its deepest sympathies over the incident, and vowed to work with authorities as they
A tourist who was struck and injured by a train in a scenic area of New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪) on Monday might be fined for trespassing on the tracks, the Railway Police Bureau said yesterday. The New Taipei City Fire Department said it received a call at 4:37pm on Monday about an incident in Shifen (十分), a tourist destination on the Pingsi Railway Line. After arriving on the scene, paramedics treated a woman in her 30s for a 3cm to 5cm laceration on her head, the department said. She was taken to a hospital in Keelung, it said. Surveillance footage from a
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow