MeToo allegations against celebrities shake Taiwan

Taiwan has been rocked by the MeToo movement since late May

It has been five years since W says she was raped.

She was an aspiring actress in Taiwan and her alleged attacker was a director. In shock and fearing a backlash, she says she did not report the alleged assault to the police at the time - although she later confided in friends.

One of them has confirmed her account to the BBC.

Then on 23 June this year, she went public with her accusation - the 1,300-word post on a friend's Facebook account was signed "W". She named the director, as Tommy Yu.

Yu told the BBC that W's account was "false" and had severely damaged his reputation.

W also gave the BBC a phone interview.

"I have been suppressing the memory," she said, adding that she found the courage to speak up in the wake of Taiwan's growing MeToo movement. She remains anonymous.

Since late May, there have been new allegations almost daily on social media, with more than 100 people accusing powerful figures of sexual harassment and assault so far.

It was sparked by a now-iconic scene in a Netflix show, where the lead character encourages her female aide to report the sexual harassment she had faced. Politicians, activists and intellectuals were named in the weeks after it aired, and now the allegations have hit the entertainment industry.

The movement is getting far more attention now, says Tzu-ying Wu of the Taipei-based Modern Women's Foundation, because while "not everyone follows politicians, celebrities are part of ordinary people's daily life. It's easier to start a discussion."

Many of the allegations first appeared on Facebook, which remains more popular than Twitter in Taiwan. They were then widely reported on local media.

On 19 June, former model Amber Chang alleged on Facebook that she was sexually assaulted by a famous comedian more than a decade ago. She did not name him, but many were able to gather who she was talking about.

As a result, TV host Nono Chen's manager denied her allegation and said he had no recollection of the incident or who she was.

The day after Amber Chang's Facebook post, influencer Anissa Chang, who is better known as Teacher Xiaohong, publicly named Chen on Facebook, accusing him of molesting her in 2010. She then held press conferences to answer questions.

Chang told the BBC that it was difficult to speak up in the industry because "you would be scared of the abusers". She says she has now approached the prosecutor's office to file criminal charges against Chen for attempted sexual assault, indecent assault and sexual harassment, after more than 20 women reached out to her, also accusing him.

On 21 June, Chen announced on Facebook that he would stop working and "reflect deeply". He did not respond to questions from the BBC.

In another press conference, pop star Aaron Yan was accused by his ex-boyfriend of filming sex videos of him without his consent when they were dating - the ex was 16 at the time while Yan was 32. Prosecutors are now investigating the case.

Yan has not responded to the BBC's questions but he turned up at the press conference and publicly apologised, saying he had made his ex "endure things you shouldn't have to" and bowed, but added he didn't do anything coercive or filmed secretly.

Some criticised Yan for effectively hijacking Yao Le's press conference - as he had no idea that Yan was planning to do that.

Meanwhile, actress Tina Chou, popularly known as Big Tooth, accused top TV host Blackie Chen of attempting to force her into sex during a work trip to Hong Kong in 2012. She says she never spoke up because she had then been a part of his talent agency and feared that he could make her "lose all jobs immediately". Chen has not responded to the BBC but has said he would sue Chou for spreading "malicious rumours".

Chou responded on Facebook: "I can again feel the suffocating pressure that I felt in the past. But I will be brave this time. See you at court."

A day after Chou's testimony, model Yuan Kuo wrote on Facebook that she too was sexually harassed and even attacked by Chen. She said he had almost raped her but stopped because she had been crying loudly.

"I don't want Big Tooth to be alone," Kuo wrote.

Chen again did not respond to the BBC, but his manager told local media that he would no longer respond to "baseless" accusations.

Not many are surprised that the MeToo movement has finally taken root in Taiwan, arguably the most open and progressive place in East Asia. But the reckoning has stirred a familiar backlash, with people questioning the women's motives.

"I have been feeling awful," says Anissa Chang, adding that she is being accused of recounting a decade-old experience to "become more famous".

Anissa Chang told the BBC that she has been facing pressure after coming forward

According to a survey by the Modern Women's Foundation earlier this year, 90% of the respondents said they did not report incidents of harassment or assault to the police, and 40% said they told no-one.

It's why W also says she has remained anonymous.

She says she didn't know Yu too well when she bumped into him at a movie screening in Taipei five years ago. When he invited her to eat tangyuan - or glutinous rice balls - at his home with him and his flatmate, she agreed. It was winter solstice, a time when families typically eat tangyuan together, and she was away from family.

At first, she says, they talked about movies but then he started touching her. She wanted to leave but, she says, he grabbed her and then ignored her even as she begged him to stop.

"Did I deserve to be raped just because I went to his home and ate tangyuan?" W asked.

She says she didn't think of going for a medical examination or reporting it to the police because she felt a compulsion to wash herself. And she was scared to stay outside. Trying to make sense of what happened, she says she sent a photo of her bruised thigh to Yu. He replied, "Oh my god. How could that happen?"

She was not the first person to accuse Yu of sexual misconduct.

W's account, for instance, came three days after theatre actress Siya Yu said on Facebook she was sexually harassed by the director but did not disclose any details. She then told local media that he molested her when they were watching a movie in a cinema.

Siya Yu said in her post she hadn't planned to speak out until she saw several social media posts by Tommy Yu, where he said that the ongoing MeToo movement in Taiwan would not solve any problems, but create "more hatred".

He apologised, saying he "completely lacks a correct understanding of love" and makes "many mistakes" in relationships because of a difficult childhood.

After she went public, Siya Yu says she was contacted by other women who claim they had had similar experiences with him.

W's post also drew swift reactions. The commenters sympathised with her, and one even said she knew of another victim who was sexually harassed by Yu.

While Yu denies W's allegation, he has not responded to the BBC's questions regarding the allegations by the other women.

Taiwan has been rocked by the MeToo movement since late May

Activists in Taiwan say this is just the beginning.

Much of the focus is still on sexual harassment, and "large-scale exposure" of sexual assault is yet to happen, says says Hui-jung Chi of the Garden of Hope Foundation.

She says that can only happen with more resources legal and counselling support from the state.

To begin with, she adds, the government must extend the statute of limitations for prosecuting sexual harassment cases, which is currently six months.

W says she is still anxious about being identified. She fears the public backlash and the impact on her career.

She says she feels less alone now, but also heartbroken that so many women suffered like she did.

"It has been difficult to dig into the past wound again, but it also gives me an opportunity to heal," W says.

"I must toughen up and will continue on this path with other women."