Taiwanese politician's son apologizes for betting, bullying; lawyer criticizes timing

Si Guang-yang, son of KMT legislator Wan Mei-ling and a candidate for Taoyuan City Councilor, has broken his silence to issue an apology for a series of controversies. He expressed regret for "mistakes made due to immaturity in his youth" and admitted to involvement in online sports betting during high school, an act that led his mother to report him to the police and have him sent to juvenile court.

The apology, however, has drawn sharp criticism from lawyer Lin Chih-chiun. Lin sarcastically suggested that Wan Mei-ling should seek advice from actress Di Ying on child-rearing, implying that Si Guang-yang's actions were less severe than those of another celebrity's son, Sun An-tso. Lin also accused supporters of using the idiom "to err is human" to defend Si, arguing that a similar situation involving a DPP legislator would likely result in harsher consequences, including resignations and apologies from higher political figures. He pointedly stated that an apology should not be made only when facing an election.

In his statement, Si Guang-yang responded to 17 accusations, acknowledging immature and troublesome behavior during his childhood and adolescence. He admitted to bullying a female classmate by giving her a nickname, sending an inappropriate message to a delivery driver asking if they had been in an accident, and "accidentally" pushing a classmate with Asperger's syndrome during a scuffle in middle school. The most serious admission was his participation in online sports betting during high school, which his mother, Wan Mei-ling, personally reported to the authorities, leading to his referral to juvenile court.