Political satire
An illicit video has seeped into the Taiwanese community and become the talk of the town. It deals with taboo topics. It has offended many, and embarrassed plenty. Its producers remain unknown, and there has been talk of banning it.
Does this sound familiar? If you remember former Taipei City councillor Melody Chu Mei-fong - who was embroiled in a case involving the secret videotaping of her bedroom tryst with her married boyfriend - then chances are, this description will bring about a sense of deja vu.
Indeed, there is something familiar about this new video. This time, however, there was no secret filming, no pinhole camera and no secret sex. In fact, Special Report, on VCD, is filmed with professional actors, and was apparently put together by a professional production team.
It has caused a stir among the island's somewhat sensitive politicians - because it is about them. A series of skits and parodies, Special Report pokes fun at and even directly attacks numerous Taiwan political high-fliers. At the top of the hit list is James Soong Chu-yu, a former Kuomintang heavyweight who is now chairman of his own People's First Party, and a vice-presidential candidate, alongside the KMT's Lien Chan. Mr Soong appears to have suffered the brunt of the comedy attacks, but his pro-unification colleagues have also taken some hits. Not surprisingly, he is unhappy about the two episodes which have surfaced so far - and has retaliated in that tried-and-tested method favoured by lovers of the limelight - by threatening to sue.
The problem is, who does he sue? The producers have yet to make an appearance to claim authorship of the movies, which are being sold at night markets and bookstores. They failed to show at a press conference and it was left to their lawyer to say that they had done nothing wrong and that the video was merely fair comment.
One might wonder, therefore, if there is nothing wrong with the films, why do the producers hide? No answer has been forthcoming, but the experiences of some performers may shed light on the matter. According to one account, the narrator received an anonymous call warning her not to turn up to a scheduled press conference, or the event would be bombed. She did not show, but a search of the venue failed to find any explosives.