Taiwanese singer-actress Pai Bing-bing was recently forced to relive the brutal murder of her teenage daughter 23 years ago when an internet user posted on social media that she should “die in the water” like her late child.
The callous comment came after Pai uploaded a video to Facebook to commemorate the anniversary this month of her daughter’s death. On April 12, Pai filed a police report against the internet user, who was found to have a history of mental illness, and is pursuing charges against her.
The kidnapping and murder of Pai’s daughter, Pai Hsiao-yen, shocked Taiwan more than two decades ago, and led to a political crisis on the island, as well as a backlash against sensationalist media coverage of the incident.
Hsiao-yen was abducted while on the way to school on April 14, 1997. Her family was sent a note demanding US$5 million, along with part of a severed finger and a photograph of a bound girl. Two weeks later, Hsiao-yen’s naked body was found in a drainage ditch close to the industrial suburb of Wugu outside Taiwan’s capital city, Taipei.
An examination found that her body had been weighed down with dumbbells to ensure it stayed underwater, and investigators said the girl had been dead for 10 days before her body was found, indicating she had already been murdered when the kidnappers were negotiating a ransom with her mother. Hsiao-yen was said to have been tortured before being killed.
Three men identified as suspects went on to commit around 20 sexual assaults and another kidnapping. Two of them, Lin Chun-sheng and Kao Tien-min, later shot themselves during separate gun battles with police.
The third kidnapper, Chen Chin-hsing, was apprehended for taking a South African military attaché’s family hostage, and was executed on October 6, 1999 after being convicted of the murder of Hsiao-yen and a raft of other crimes.
The murder led to a political crisis, with protesters demanding the resignation of Taiwan’s then-premier Lien Chan over a rise in violent crime on the island. There was also outrage at the press when media outlets ran a photograph of Hsiao-yen’s body.
Hsiao-yen was the only daughter of Pai Bing-bing – who started her career in Taiwan’s entertainment industry as a singer in the 1970s, before finding fame as an actress and TV show host – and the late Japanese comic book artist Ikki Kajiwara.
Pai Bing-bing said at a news conference this month that she had felt traumatised by the social media post telling her to “die in the water like your daughter”, which she took as a death threat. She said it had led her to relive her daughter’s murder.
She said she had kept a photograph of her daughter’s dead body and admitted that it had taken her 15 years to stop crying about her daughter’s death. Pai said: “I spent 15 years wiping out the memories of when my daughter was found, and [the internet user’s] comment managed to provoke them again.”
Pai compiled several screenshots showing harassment by the commentator and posted them on Facebook, with a caption explaining that many of her supporters had urged her to take further action.
An excerpt from Pai’s Facebook post on April 12 reads: “Everyone advised me to do something and not let such malicious people hide behind a keyboard and bully good people, so I called the police today. Thank you for your concern. I will handle it properly.”
After police went to the commenter’s home to arrest her, the woman – who has been referred to only as Lei – was found to have a history of mental illness.
Accompanied by family members, Lei later turned herself in to police and issued a public apology to Pai. However, Pai refused to accept the apology and said she would continue legal action against the woman for defamation and intimidation.
Pai said she wanted Lei to experience the consequences of her actions. “I don’t accept her apology. She [Lei] said she was not afraid of making the accusation. I want to let her know what being accused tastes [like] … I want to do something on behalf of all public figures. I will take whatever steps I need to so that she understands what happens when you break the law.”
Everyone advised me to do something and not let such malicious people hide behind a keyboard and bully good people, so I called the police today. Thank you for your concern. I will handle it properly - Pai Bing-bing
Pai’s press conference, which was uploaded to YouTube, attracted a flurry of messages showing compassion for the star’s situation, as well as supporting her decision to stand her ground and follow through with the police report.
One user commented: “Who can experience the fear Hsiao-yen went through? Who can understand the pain of Pai Bing-bing losing her daughter?”
Another internet user wrote: “I support the suggestion that no reconciliation should be allowed. This kind of person cannot be tolerated. [Punishment] will encourage more people to follow the law. They must pay the price and know they should be afraid.”
After her daughter’s death, Pai formed the cultural and educational Pai Hsiao-yen Foundation to spread anti-drug messages and provide help to marginalised children and the elderly. During this month’s press conference, Pai said the foundation had been struggling to stay afloat due to a lack of funds and donations.
Donations have since increased. “The fact that Hsiao-yen left made me feel pain and heartbreak, but it also inspired some public good,” Pai said. “Thank you to those who cared about us and showed concern … and the general public who continue to make small donations.”
Hsiao-yen’s father died in 1987 at the age of 50. After her daughter’s death, Pai, now 64, tried without success to conceive a child via in vitro fertilisation.
