#METOO/Screenwriter denies harassment after Kaohsiung drops contract

Taipei, Sept. 12 (CNA) Taiwanese screenwriter Tsai Kuen-lin (蔡坤霖) denied sexual harassment accusations against him on Friday, after his contract with the Kaohsiung City Bureau of Cultural Affairs was terminated the previous day.

The culture bureau cut ties with Tsai for the "screenwriter practical connection project" after he was accused of sexually harassing a female student of a screenwriting course in 2020.

Meanwhile, the city's Department of Social Welfare said the case is under review, and confirmed offenses will lead to fines of NT$10,000 (US$330) to NT$100,000 for ordinary cases and NT$60,000 to NT$600,000 for power-related offenses under the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act.

After the 2020 course, the female student alleged that Tsai invited her to develop a script together and repeatedly sent messages "full of sexual innuendo."

After his advances were rejected, the student claimed that Tsai abused his power in the film industry, frequently stressing his connections to the victim and threatening to end her career.

The student, via her lawyer, released screenshots of the messages he sent, including one that said his presence will be in the industry for the next 20 years, and "how will you evade me and the love that I placed on you, that has never changed?"

"Many of your possibilities will be forever redirected, your efforts abandoned," the text read.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Tsai said he "has not conducted abuse of power, sexual harassment or sexual contact with Miss C [the pseudonym of the student]."

He also denied having sexual intercourse or any inappropriate sexual advances or contact using work or lectures with any other colleagues or juniors in the industry.

Releasing his correspondence with C, Tsai said the dialogues on sex were discussions for scriptwriting, because the student wanted to take the themes of sex, diseases, love, motherhood, parenthood and intimate relationships as creative material.

He said he had helped C actively analyze her sexual encounters, and he responded from a supportive standpoint.

Tsai said that the dialogue with the student would not erase misgivings and suspicions about him, but may at least show that C did not "fear" or "evade" him for a long period of time.

Tsai is one of the writers of the 2024 horror-comedy movie "Dead Talents Society," which received international acclaim and won multiple awards in Taiwan.