The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office does not plan to indict entertainer Tina Chou (周宜霈) after her former boss, Charles “Blackie” Chen (陳建州), filed a defamation suit against her over a Facebook post in June in which she said he sexually harassed her during a trip to Hong Kong 11 years ago.
The office said the decision not to charge Chou, who said in a separate Facebook post in September that she had reported the case to Hong Kong police, was made after she was questioned by Taiwanese authorities that same month and discussions were held with Chen in August and October.
The issue went beyond the private realm, because Chou had referred to her experiences as an entertainer in the post and called on other women to protect themselves in the workplace, in a similar vein to other #MeToo posts that went viral in Taiwan at the time, prosecutors said.
Photo: Taipei Times
There was also enough evidence, such as mobile screenshots, to back up Chou’s accusation that Chen sexually harassed her in Hong Kong and subsequently deprived her of employment opportunities, the prosecutors’ office said.
Chou had mentioned being sexually harassed by Chen many times before writing the Facebook post, the prosecutors’ office said, adding that it believed the content of her post corresponded with the evidence provided.
Chou yesterday wrote on Facebook said that despite the colder weather, her heart feels “very warm.”
“I believed that justice would prevail,” she wrote, thanking the legal system and those who had followed her case.
“I hope this news encourages others to come forward and boosts the faith of those still trapped in #MeToo experiences because I still believe we should do the right thing and come forward,” she said.
A series of #MeToo cases came to light in Taiwan in early June, with Chou taking to Facebook on June 27 to accuse Chen of sexual assault.
Chou’s post led to Chen taking time off from his position as CEO of the P.League+ basketball league. He sued Chou for civil compensation of NT$10 million (US$318,867).
Although Chen dropped the lawsuit in July, his lawyers asked prosecutors to indict Chou for offenses against his reputation.
Chen resigned as P.League+ chairman of the board, CEO and president in early October, but rejoined the league as its vice president early last month.
Separately, the prosecutors’ office said that three of the 10 sexual assault complaints filed against comedian “Nono” Chen Hsuan-yu (陳宣裕) would be dropped, as there is not enough evidence to prosecute.
The seven other complaints — including from YouTuber Anissa (小紅老師), who said she had received similar stories involving Nono from other women after posting her story on social media — would be transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office for investigation, as it has jurisdiction over the cases, it added.
In June more than 20 women accused the comedian of sexual harassment.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS