Taiwanese singer and actress Makiyo teared up and broke
down as she apologised to the taxi driver beaten up by her Japanese
friend, yesterday, accompanied by her mother.
Makiyo and the taxi driver's family held different explanations
to how the conflict had stirred and the fight had resulted, and her
friend might be subject to legal charges as the taxi driver was
seriously injured and remains in a hospital intensive care
unit.
Takateru Tomoyori, a Japanese friend of Makiyo, was ordered not
to leave Taiwan Saturday after he was arrested and charged with
causing bodily harm to a taxi driver following a dispute.
Tomoyori was arrested Friday after striking a
taxi driver, surnamed Lin, who suffered serious head injuries, two
fractured ribs, a brain hemorrhage and concussion after being
struck.
Tomoyori was then released on bail of NT$50,000 (S$2,110). The
case has been transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors'
Office.
Local media reported that the incident occurred after taxi
driver Lin asked Tomoyori to buckle his seat belt, with Tomoyori
reportedly refusing.
Makiyo, who rode in the taxi with Tomoyori, held a Saturday
press conference along with Tomoyori to claim they had worn their
seat belts while in the taxi and charged that the taxi driver
touched Makiyo's breast when returning change to them which led to
Tomoyori's attack on Lin. The language barrier also played a role
in the dispute, Makiyo added.
Tomoyori speaks Japanese, while Makiyo speaks both Mandarin and
Japanese.
Lin's family has since refuted these claims, charging that
Makiyo did not even pay the taxi fare, let alone have any change
returned to her.
The 27-year-old actress said yesterday that she was intoxicated
at the time of the incident and was still confused during the
Saturday press conference. She was really sorry for the damage done
to driver's family.
Police said Makiyo's claim that Tomoyori was attacking Lin to
protect her might not be proven true since many passers-by
witnessed the incident, reporting that Tomoyori knocked Lin to the
ground and Lin had not fought back.
Huang Mou-hsin, Taipei's deputy chief prosecutor, said in light
of the severe injuries suffered by Lin, prosecutors will seek to
determine whether the case should be handled as an offense causing
severe bodily harm.
Meanwhile, an official statement released on Makiyo's Facebook
page Saturday has caused a stir among netizens.
In the statement, Makiyo said that she apologized for the
incident causing attention in the media and for wasting social
resources. "As I am not the one involved in the case, I cannot
comment on it," read the statement.
Many netizens criticized the statement, saying if Makiyo was not
involved in the case, it was then not possible that the driver had
harassed her, as she said.
"I guess what they wanted to say was they had the right to hit
people because she was harassed," noted a netizen on Makiyo's
Facebook page.
http://www.divaasia.com/article/15867
Makiyo, from left, Ya-zi and Xiang Ying report to the prosecutors
for investigations
Makiyo and two other bit-part actresses were summoned
by Taipei’s prosecutors on Monday night about their friend’s taxi
assault case.
Makiyo, Ya-zi (ㄚ子)
and Xiang
Ying (湘瑩) could face jail terms of up to 12 years if
they are found guilty of having encouraged their Japanese
friend Takateru
Tomoyori to beat up the taxi driver.
The incident occurred last Thursday night, when Makiyo and Tomoyori
allegedly refused to wear their seat belts, with the conflict
escalating into a physical dispute.
According to a witness, Makiyo kicked the door of the taxi after
the group got out of the cab — and Tomoyori then kicked the taxi
driver in the head.
They then left the scene without calling for an ambulance.
The driver remains in intensive care after
suffering serious head injuries, two fractured ribs, a brain
hemorrhage and concussion.
The three celebrities’ behavior has triggered
waves of criticism on the Internet and in
showbiz.
More than 240,000 netizens joined the anti-Makiyo
page on Facebook and rapper Yan
GuanxiJY (顏冠希JY) produced a song to ridicule her
called Mak!yo
suck my D!$%.
Japanese netizens were angered to find that
Makiyo is of Japanese and Taiwanese descent,
demanding that she withdraw from the showbiz because “No Japanese
knows you.”
Senior celebrity figures also condemned them.
It is rumored that Tomoyori is a member of the yakuza, Japan’s
mafia.
http://www.maydaily.com/2012/02/07/makiyo-faces-jail-for-assault-on-taxi-driver/
